Overview
- The BCCI confirmed Rishabh Pant sustained a right-sided oblique muscle tear in training and will miss all three ODIs, with Dhruv Jurel drafted in as his replacement.
- India begin the series at the BCA/Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, which hosts its first men’s international, before matches in Rajkot and Indore.
- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return to the ODI side under captain Shubman Gill, whose form and leadership face fresh scrutiny after his T20 World Cup omission.
- KL Rahul remains first-choice wicketkeeper, Shreyas Iyer returns to bolster the middle order at No. 4, and workload management keeps Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya out.
- New Zealand arrive with a new-look squad led by Michael Bracewell, with senior names such as Kane Williamson and Mitchell Santner unavailable and Kyle Jamieson set to spearhead the pace attack.