New Zealand will look to host India in the first of the five ODIs where both the teams haven’t tasted defeat in a long time and look to warm up for the World Cup. India who are back after claiming their first ever Test series victory in Australia, are in the World Cup zone as they play a series of ODI games before the start of Indian Premier League. Virat & Co. will be looking forward to strengthening their playing XI and test potential so as to claim victory in World Cup.
India will be looking forward to retaining the squad that had held victory in Australia. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in their best forms while MS Dhoni has sent out the vibes that he’s isn’t old for cricket yet after winning player of the series trophy in the ODI series against Australia. The retaining of the line-up can easily turn the game around for India.
While New Zealand, on the other hand, has been piling victories for the past year especially on home ground. The Black Caps kept dismantling Sri Lanka across all three formats. They scored over 300 in all the three matches of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Just like India, New Zealand is dependent on its castle of batsmen who have been impressive and has been growing over time. Ross Taylor brilliant field tactics and batting stances have given momentum to the Black Caps. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, and Henry Nicholas have all been very effective as well. This pool of batsmen has proved the other teams that New Zealand cannot be considered to be the underdogs of World Cup.
Predicted Line-ups:
India: MS Dhoni (WK); Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav (Batsmen); Ravindra Jadeja (All-Rounders); Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal (Bowlers).
New Zealand: Tom Latham (WK); Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson(c), Henry Nicholls, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro (Batsmen); Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme (All-rounders); Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi (Bowlers).
My Playing XI:
PlayerzPot Prediction:
With the current form, India stands a chance to win the first of five ODIs against New Zealand. New Zealand can make a comeback after a fall.
