India will resume their 2023 World Cup preparations against the No. 1 team in the world, New Zealand, in Hyderabad on Wednesday, Jan. 18
Follow Us
India will resume their 2023 World Cup preparations against the No. 1 team in the world, New Zealand, in Hyderabad on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the first of a three-match ODI series following their biggest-ever ODI victory. With only a two-day turnaround, India will be feeling confident after finishing their biggest-ever ODI victory. India is possibly just as dominant in ODIs at home, albeit it isn’t discussed as much as their great home record in Test cricket. They have played 25 bilateral home series since the year 2010 began, winning 22 of them. Given that India is preparing to host a WC in 2023, this record will have much more significance. With the largest victory in ODI history, they sealed a 3-0 series triumph over Sri Lanka to start the year in an ominous fashion.
However, they might have a more difficult struggle now. New Zealand is currently coming off a 2-1 victory in Pakistan and has recently been one of the most competitive ODI teams to visit India, with their two most recent series here in 2016 and 2017 going into the final game. However, this New Zealand team lacks experience, especially in Indian circumstances, with Kane Williamson and Tim Southee resting for this series and Trent Boult’s international career in uncertainty. They have a difficult assignment before them, especially for their bowlers who will face an Indian batting order that has scored 373 and 390 runs on the last two occasions they have elected to bat first.
Read more: SA20: Squads and broadcasting details for the inaugural season
KL Rahul’s absence due to family obligations, combined with a last-minute injury report on Shreyas Iyer, will allow the team to include both Shubman and Kishan in the XI, but the ‘keeper will most likely be playing in the middle-order. Uncapped Rajat Patidar, who was selected as Iyer’s replacement in the ODI team, is unlikely to break into the XI right away. Arshdeep has been dropped in favour of Shardul, who was previously overlooked for the Sri Lanka series, while Axar’s absence has allowed Shahbaz to earn a comeback after last appearing on the Bangladesh tour. Sundar, who can give a useful match-up against New Zealand’s plethora of left-handed batters, may edge him out though.
The match will be live on the star sports network and Hotstar.
India
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Umran Malik/Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj
New Zealand
Playing XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (C, wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner/Dough Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson
