Mohammed Siraj left out of India XI for 1st ODI vs New Zealand in Auckland

Mohammed Siraj was not included in India’s playing XI for the first One-Day International against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4. He had been part of an India A four-day match against New Zealand A shortly before the fixture.

India began the three-match series with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup and said it would use the fixtures to test combinations and prepare for the tournament during a five-match series. Siraj’s absence drew attention as India named four pace bowlers in the side, and the BCCI noted no injury as the reason for his omission.

Siraj featured in the second unofficial Test for India A in Christchurch and took four wickets in that match. The red-ball contest finished on November 3, leaving limited recovery and preparation time ahead of the opening ODI.

The board and team management elected to rest Siraj to manage his workload following his recent India A outing. With very little time between the end of the red-ball match and the start of the ODI series, India opted to give him a break for the opening game.

After winning the toss at Eden Park, captain Shubman Gill chose to bowl first and explained the team’s bowling balance at the toss. “We are going with the four fast bowlers and two all-rounders with Naman and Axar, with Anshul, Auqib, Gurnoor and Arshdeep,” Gill said at the toss.

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

Siraj could return for one of the remaining ODIs, depending on the team’s plans, after being given a rest for the opening game.