Why is Shreyas Iyer not playing today’s 1st ODI between India and New Zealand in Hyderabad?

India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and chose to bat in the first ODI against New Zealand at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium today. A primary reason behind Sharma doing the same is him wanting for his bowlers to defend a total both under lights and dew.

“We will bat first. Looks a good pitch, little dry. We want to make sure we want to bowl under lights and defend score. Important for us to keep the momentum going,” Sharma told Star Sports at the toss.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham remained unaffected in spite of losing the toss because he was looking to bowl first on a Wednesday afternoon. Latham, 30, acknowledged their poor head-to-head ODI record in India.

“We would have bowled first. Looks a good surface. They tend to be pretty good in India. We love coming to India and experiencing all that the country has to offer,” Latham told Star Sports at the toss.

Why is Shreyas Iyer not playing vs New Zealand today?

India have made three changes to their Playing XI for this match. Wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan, vice-captain Hardik Pandya and all-rounder Shardul Thakur are playing this match in place of batter Shreyas Iyer, wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel.

Readers must note that Iyer has been ruled out of this three-match series due to stiffness in his back which he suffered immediately after the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. As a result, the in-form right-handed batter has been advised to report at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru. Rahul and Patel, on the other hand, aren’t part of the squad for this series due to “family commitments”.

Coming on the back of a 2-1 series victory against Pakistan in Karachi, New Zealand have also made three changes to their Playing XI. Batter Henry Nicholls and fast bowlers Henry Shipley and Blair Tickner have come into the Playing XI as replacements for captain Kane Williamson, spinner Ish Sodhi and pacer Tim Southee.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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