India and New Zealand will face off in the second ODI of the five-match series in Wellington on Saturday, November 7. The Men in Blue currently hold a 1-0 lead thanks to their win in Auckland.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has joined the A squad, but as someone who didn’t feature in the series opener, he’s unlikely to affect the team’s plans too much. India secured a fairly comfortable victory and are expected to field the same side.
New Zealand, meanwhile, were without Devon Conway and Matt Henry in the series opener. The Black Caps may not be pressing the panic button just yet, but their performance in the opening encounter didn’t seem particularly promising.
India are expected to secure the victory in the second ODI, although New Zealand definitely cannot be counted out.
India’s squad for the New Zealand ODIs: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Naman Dhir, Aaqib Nabi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan.
New Zealand’s squad for the India ODIs: Mitchell Santner (c), Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Matt Fisher, Blair Tickner, Tim Seifert, Kyle Jamieson.
NZ vs IND 2026: India start as favorites against struggling New Zealand
Without many of the key batters, including Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand aren’t in a great spot right now. Their playing XI doesn’t seem to have a great deal of balance, and the top order looks brittle.
India have concerns of their own. They’re playing without a specialist spinner, and Aaqib Nabi seems to be at least one level below the international stage. However, the Men in Blue have more bases covered.
Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill seem to be in great form, while the likes of Naman Dhir and Anshul Kamboj have stepped up when necessary. More importantly, the visitors have a splendid record in the 50-over format and know what it takes to win across conditions.
India can be backed to get over the line.
Prediction: India to win the 2nd ODI against New Zealand.
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Edited by Sai Krishna
