Overview
- Rishabh Pant sustained a right-sided abdominal strain with an internal oblique muscle tear during Saturday’s nets, received on-field treatment with head coach Gautam Gambhir present, and has been ruled out of all three ODIs.
- Selectors are expected to name a replacement for Pant, while KL Rahul remains the first-choice wicketkeeper for this series and no official replacement has been announced yet.
- The three-match ODI series starts January 11 at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, the venue’s first men’s international, with further games on January 14 in Rajkot and January 18 in Indore.
- India are led by Shubman Gill, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning in strong form and eyeing milestones, Shreyas Iyer back in the middle order, and Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya rested for upcoming T20 focus.
- New Zealand arrive with a new-look squad captained by Michael Bracewell, with Mitchell Santner injured, Tom Latham away for the birth of his child, and Kane Williamson in SA20, leaving seniors like Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Kyle Jamieson to anchor the side.