Yash Thakur to make ODI debut as Mitchell Santner wins toss and elects to bowl in Mount Maunganui

Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the series-deciding fifth and final ODI at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 15, 2026. India handed a debut to Yash Thakur for the match.

India lead the five-match series 2-1 after winning the first two ODIs; the third match was washed out and India were beaten by 244 runs in the fourth fixture. The fifth encounter therefore settles the series between the two sides.

India’s Gurnoor Brar will miss the final ODI, and New Zealand’s Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson are also absent from the playing XI. All three players will move on to prepare for the two-Test series that starts on November 19. Their unavailability removed experienced options from both squads ahead of the decider.

India’s selected playing XI for the fifth ODI was Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel. The remainder of the side named was Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Yash Thakur.

New Zealand’s side for the match was Tim Seifert (wk), Will Young, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell. Their bowling and finishing options listed were Mitchell Santner (c), Kristian Clarke, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy and Matthew Fisher.

Yash Thakur, who has been handed his first ODI cap in this game, is a right-arm seamer. His inclusion is the only change noted to India’s lineup for the series decider.

The fifth ODI will determine the outcome of the five-match series, after which attention turns to the two-Test series that begins on November 19.