India opt to field in first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland

India captain Shubman Gill opted to field as India named their playing XI for the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

Gill posed with New Zealand counterpart Mitchell Santner and the trophy on the eve of the match (Photo Credit: PTI). The Indian selection included four specialist fast bowlers whose combined international experience is stated as 29 games, while Mohammed Siraj was omitted from the squad. Spin-bowling all-rounder Naman Dhir was picked ahead of seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

India’s XI was named as: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh.

New Zealand’s playing XI was listed as: Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner.

The selection notes that Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh are set to share the fast-bowling responsibilities for India in the opening ODI.

The teams will meet in the first match of the ODI series in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.