New Zealand will be looking forward to restore pride in the ODI series after India managed to clean sweep them in the five-match T20I series. Kiwis had given tough fights in all the matches but they were lacking in handling the pressure. Surprisingly, the third and fourth T20I matches went into the super overs where the Men in Blue proved to be too dominant.
On Wednesday, the two teams will play the first ODI match. While confident India will be looking forward to starting the series with a positive note. On the other side, New Zealanders will try to get their form back.
Date: 5th February
Time: 7:30 AM (IST)
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
Rohit Sharma ruled out; Mayank Agarwal called back:
In the last T20I match, Rohit Sharma suffered a calf injury while running between the wickets. His injury has led his ouster from the remaining of the New Zealand tour. In his place, Mayank Agarwal has earned the place in the ODI squad.
Also, Agarwal’s entry has raised question regarding the position of KL Rahul in the playing XI. This question has been answered by Virat Kohli. The skipper said that Rahul will be given the place in the middle order.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out from the series which gave the youngster Prithvi Shaw an opportunity in the ODI squad.
Tom Latham Will Captain New Zealand:
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson injured his shoulder during the third T20I match. Subsequently, he didn’t feature in the remaining two games.
Now, the skipper will also not play the first two ODI matches.
Thus, the vice-captain Tom Latham will lead the team in the first ODI match at Hamilton.
New Zealand vs India 2020: Head to Head
| Team | Total | Won | Lost | No result/Tied |
| New Zealand | 107 | 55 | 46 | 5/1 |
| India | 15 | 46 | 55 | 5/1 |
Weather forecast:
Hamilton will be mostly cloudy on the match-day but there are no chances of rain.
However, the evening can be cold as the temperature can drop to 16-degree celsius. Also, wind can play a role in the game.
Pitch Report:
The two teams played the third T20I match in this pitch when the game went into super over. In that match, spinners got a lot more support from the pitch. And Given the fact that there isn’t going to be too much of dew, batting first might be a good idea.
India’s Predictable XI:
| Players | Role |
| Prithvi Shaw | Opening Batsman |
| Mayank Agarwal | Opening Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (c) | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| KL Rahul | Wk-Batsman |
| Manish Pandey | Batsman |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Allrounder |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
New Zealand’s Predicted XI:
| Players | Role |
| Martin Guptill | Opening Batsman |
| Tom Blundell | Opening Batsman |
| Henry Nicholls | Batsman |
| Ross Taylor | Batsman |
| Tom Latham(C) | Wk-Batsman |
| James Neesham | Allrounder |
| Collen de Grandhomme | Allrounder |
| Mitchell Santner | Bowler |
| Tim Southee | Bowler |
| Hamish Bennett | Bowler |
| Ish Sodhi | Bowler |
Match prediction:
The way the Indian team gained momentum in the ODI series against Australia and also achieving success in the T20I series against Kiwis, it would not be wrong to say that India has more chances to win the first ODI match.