Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is hosting the 1st ODI of the 3-match ODI series between India and New Zealand. India opted to bat first upon winning the toss on a brilliant track, and Rohit said that the pitch looks dry to him, and that’s why batting first will be a good idea.
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India have made a few changes to their squad where Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur are back in the Playing XI. On the contrary, a few of the Indian players such as KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer are missing the series.
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New Zealand are playing with two spinners and three seamers in their Playing XI. Tom Latham is leading the side in the absence of Kane Williamson. Devon Conway and Finn Allen are the openers of the side, whereas the middle-order will rely on players like Latham and Glenn Phillips.
Why Kane Williamson not playing today?
The Black Caps are missing quite a few of their main players in this match. Kane Williamson is certainly the biggest absentee and his leadership will be missed by the side in this series. The readers must note that both Williamson and Tim Southee are rested for this whole India tour.
New Zealand will play a Test series against England at their home conditions, and they wanted to give rest to both of their main players. Both of them played every match of the Pakistan tour, and that’s why they are rested for the ongoing series. Both of them are not injured at all.
Trent Boult is yet another big player who is not in the squad. The readers must note that Boult declined the central contract of the New Zealand cricket team last year. He is still eligible to play for the international side, but he will majorly play in the T20 Leagues around the world. The Blackcaps cricket board said that they will give preference to centrally contracted players in the squads.
