India vs New Zealand 1st ODI pitch report: Eden Park Auckland pitch for batters or bowlers

After the T20Is, it’s time for the ODI series between New Zealand and India. Auckland’s Eden Park will host the 1st ODI between both sides on Friday morning. Every match at Eden Gardens brings a lot of excitement as this is one of the smallest stadiums in the world.

New Zealand will welcome back Kane Williamson for this game, whereas Tom Latham will also join the ODI squad. Both of them are the most important pillars of New Zealand’s ODI setup. Matt Henry is also set to get an opportunity, and he has bowled well against the Indian team in the past as well.

It will be interesting to see how the Indian team will line up in the 1st ODI in Auckland. With the absence of Hardik Pandya, the balance of the side will definitely take a toll. Shikhar Dhawan is set to captain the side, and Shardul Thakur & Deepak Chahar may play the role of all-rounders.

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI pitch report

Auckland’s Eden Park is one of the smallest grounds in terms of dimensions, and every match at this stadium brings excitement. The matches here during the 2015 World Cup were so entertaining, where Brendon McCullum used to smash the bowlers in and around the ground.

However, to counter the smaller boundaries, the pitch has not been that great for batting, and the average 1st innings ODI score here is just 220 runs. So, the bowlers will have their say in the match as the pacers can get some movement in the initial overs, and it gets slow as well.

The direction and placing of the pitch completely changed after the 2015 World Cup as the straight boundaries at this ground were just around 45 meters, which was lesser than the minimum ICC limit of 55 meters.

Hello Auckland! 👋 Signing session to start the day with @sparknzsport ahead of the 1st ODI against India tomorrow at @edenparknz. #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/JNYMJy0jZp

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 23, 2022

The straight boundaries are very small here, and it is a crime to bowl fuller deliveries here. There is absolutely no scope for an error on this pitch for the bowlers as overpitched deliveries will be punished. The short balls will be targetted by the pacers at this venue. The overcast conditions will favour the pacers as well.

Eden Park last hosted an ODI match in 2020 between New Zealand and India only, where New Zealand won by 22 runs. The Kiwis scored 273/8, but India got out on 251. Looking at the overcast conditions, both captains may look to chase here upon winning the toss.