India handed debut to two young promising pacers as they took on New Zealand in the first of the three-match ODI series in Auckland. Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik both were handed their ODI caps by skipper Shikhar Dhawan even as the rest of the squad members celebrated and clapped around them. India are in New Zealand where they are kicking off their build up to 2023 ODI World Cup which is exactly 11 months away. Watch
FIFA World Cup 2022 Points Table | FIFA World Cup 2022 Schedule | FIFA World Cup 2022 Results | FIFA World Cup 2022 Golden Boot
Moment to cherish! 😊
Congratulations to @arshdeepsinghh and @umran_malik_01 as they are set to make their ODI debuts 👏 👏#TeamIndia | #NZvINDpic.twitter.com/VqgTxaDbKm
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 25, 2022
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bowl Friday in the first one-day international against India at Eden Park. Williamson returns to the New Zealand team after missing the third Twenty20 international on Tuesday because of a pre-arranged medical appointment. India won the series 1-0.
ALSO READ | ‘Khaali Haath Aana hai, Khaali Haath hi Jaana Hai’: Shikhar Dhawan’s Epic Reply on Fear of Losing Captaincy in IPL
New Zealand has named four seam bowlers with Tim Southee being joined by Matt Henry, Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson. All-rounder Mitchell Santner provides the spin option. India named two players on debut in a young lineup. Right-arm fast bowler Umran Malik and left-armer Arshdeep Singh both will play their first ODIs.
After having just completed the Twenty20 World Cup, both teams are beginning to look forward to the ODI World Cup in India which is only a year away. “A year out and every match marks another opportunity to develop as a side,” Williamson said.
India had endured a nightmare back in 2020 in New Zealand when Virat Kohli’s side was blanked 0-3 in one of the most lopsided series where the bowling effort was below par.
Exactly 11 months are left for the marquee event in India and the series starting on Friday will give the team an initial idea about some of the middle-order slots and also the bowling arsenal in India’s armoury.
With five seniors—skipper Rohit Sharma, the talismanic Virat Kohli, team management’s favourite KL Rahul, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and No.1 ODI all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja not part of this series, the management can only get a rough idea in which direction the team would move.
Also Read: All You Need to Know About the ODI Series Between India and New Zealand
All these big guns will now play a lot of of ODI cricket, starting with the Bangladesh series, and the team combination will undergo a sea change once they all come back in due course.
Just like the dilemmas of T20Is, Indian coach Rahul Dravid will have a lot on his plate but for now, his understudy VVS Laxman also needs to do a tight rope walking as far as this series is concerned.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here
