New Zealand win toss, opt to field against India in 1st ODI; Arshdeep, Umran make debuts

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first against India in the first of three-match ODI series on Friday.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first against India in the first of three-match ODI series here at Eden Park on Friday.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the side in absence of other seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Men in Blue had won the rain-affected three-match T20I series by 1-0. The Kiwis, on the other hand, have left out Trent Boult and Martin Guptill – two seasoned campaigners. Adam Milne, who last played an ODI in October 2017, is likely to make it to the playing XI.

The seaming and swinging conditions in New Zealand give the Indian side a good opportunity to test their skills in trying conditions in the T20I series.

Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are making their ODI debuts in the first ODI against New Zealand at Auckland.
Speaking at the time of the toss, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said, “We are gonna have a bowl first. New surface and a few unknowns. Most teams will have a lot of ODI cricket now. Each game is an opportunity to build as a side. It is unique, there has been a number of fantastic games here. The guys are looking forward to this series. We are going with 4 seamers – Lockie, Milne, Southee and Matt Henry – along with Santner.”
Speaking at the time of toss, India skipper Shikhar Dhawan said, ” It’s an amazing place, I enjoy playing over here. No issues batting first, I would have bowled first. I feel the wicket is a bit sticky but the sun is out and it should dry out soon. With this team, we have played a few series earlier as well. It’s a good opportunity for all the youngsters to perform and show their talents. We are very fortunate that we’ve got Indians all over the world and they keep supporting us, we are grateful for it. We’ve got 2 debutants – Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.”
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Latham(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal. (ANI)

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