India made one change before the series commenced, with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant ruled out due to an abdominal strain he sustained while playing List-A cricket for Delhi. Dhruv Jurel has been added to the squad as his replacement.
Gill returned to lead the team after missing the ODI series against South Africa in December, and India fielded a bowling-focused lineup with six bowlers, comprising three specialist pacers, two spin all-rounders, and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
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Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also return to international cricket after participating in domestic List-A competitions, bringing experience and stability to the batting order.
Shreyas Iyer is back following recovery from a spleen injury he sustained during the Australia tour in October. The 31-year-old makes his return after a two-month absence and is expected to reclaim his role at No. 4 in the batting lineup.
For New Zealand, medium pacer Kristian Clarke is making his ODI debut, while 23-year-old wrist spinner Adithya Ashok takes the lead as the spin bowler.
The Black Caps enter this series with strong momentum, having not lost a single ODI in 2025.
The pitch for this historic international match at the BCA Stadium should favor batters. It is a black soil pitch, likely to display variable bounce throughout the day. Evening dew will assist the chasing side.
Playing XI
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
(With PTI inputs)
