India to fly ODI squad to New Zealand on October 28 ahead of Eden Park opener

According to a report by The TOI, India's ODI squad will travel to New Zealand on October 28 ahead of the five-match ODI series that opens at Eden Park in Auckland on November 4. The timing will give the Men in Blue almost a week on New Zealand soil to prepare for the first ODI.

India are currently engaged in a five-match T20I series against the West Indies, having played three matches so far with the Men in Blue leading 2-1; that T20I series concludes on October 17. The New Zealand tour begins with a five-match T20I series starting on Thursday, October 22, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, is scheduled to finish its final T20 international on November 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton, and will be followed by five ODIs and two Test matches.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 approaching, the report states each ODI carries added importance for India as two-time champions. Indian management will aim to build momentum on the tour and to identify a settled playing XI ahead of the global event. The compact schedule, with T20Is starting October 22 and ODIs from November 4, frames this New Zealand visit as a short, intensive preparation window.

The last time India won an ODI series in New Zealand was on the 2018-19 tour when they defeated the hosts 4-1. Since that triumph, the Men in Blue have lost two ODI series against the Black Caps. The recent results against New Zealand underpin India’s objective to reassert themselves on the hosts’ soil.

India’s most recent ODI engagement was a three-match series against the West Indies, a series India won 2-1. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul all recorded centuries during that ODI series. Shubman Gill’s two centuries against the Caribbean side also earned him the ICC Player of the Month award for September, a record fifth time.

Swing bowling veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to the T20I squad, and the report notes that if he performs well in the white-ball matches he could force consideration for an ODI berth. The squad’s performances across the remaining T20Is and the early New Zealand fixtures will therefore be monitored closely for selection ahead of the ODI series.

India’s next scheduled match is the final T20I against the West Indies on October 17. The New Zealand leg then begins with T20Is from October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, and the ODI series opens on November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland.