India (IND) already entered the five-match ODI series against New Zealand (NZ) with a depleted pace attack, and as the team news came, experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj was also missing from India's Playing XI for the first ODI, which is being played at the Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 04.

NZ vs IND: Toss Update

The toss went in favour of the Indian team, as skipper Shubman Gill called it correctly. Gill confirmed that the visitors will be bowling first, and the decision seemed on point given the inexperienced bowling line-up that they are carrying for this match. Gill also confirmed that Siraj will not be a part of the starting line-up for the series opener. 

NZ vs IND: Why did Mohd Siraj miss out on a place in first ODI?

While Siraj has not played international cricket for a month, he was involved in a well-fought contest for India A in the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A. The match ended on Tuesday, less than twenty-four hours before the first ODI, and Siraj had played a big part in the red-ball clash, picking four wickets. As a result, Siraj is understood to have been rested, keeping his workload in mind.

NZ vs IND: Playing XIs

New Zealand

Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (WK), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner

India

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh

NZ vs IND: What did the captains say?

Shubman Gill, India captain, said:

"We're going to bowl first. A little bit of overcast, if there's any reduction in the overs, it's always good to have a target on the board. [On India's preparations for the ODI series] Pretty good, I would say. Lot of good practice sessions and everyone is very excited and prepared for the series.

"[On the importance of the series in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup] Extremely important, I'd say. The conditions that we are going to get here would be a lot more similar to the ones in South Africa as compared to other parts of the world. So in terms of that, it'll be a really good experience for us, hopefully we get some good success here. [On India's bowling combination] We are going with the four fast bowlers and two all-rounders with Naman and Axar, with Anshul, Auqib, Gurnoor and Arshdeep."

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain, said:

"[On the start of the ODI series after the T20Is] Yeah, no, really exciting. Obviously a quick turnaround from the T20 series, but yeah, we got to go again. And I guess on another good pitch. [On New Zealand's squad depth and Devon Conway's recovery] Yeah, I think it's credit to where we're at at the moment. Yeah, I guess with the schedules in both teams, it's been a little bit more rotation than probably would be usually. But like I said, it gives guys opportunities.

"You know, so guys coming in and doing really well. So it's been really enjoyable. It's obviously we're in a great spot. And Conway's doing well. Obviously a bit of a head knock yesterday. So he's just going to rest up and he's obviously not playing today. [On New Zealand's top three] Yeah, Seifert, Youngy (Will Young) and Henry Nicholls. So Seifert obviously gets opportunity today with Conway being out. And yeah, I guess a similar makeup kind of the four bowlers as well like India."