NZ vs IND 1st ODI: Arshdeep and Gurnoor strike early; NZ at 109/5 after 25 overs

[[{“value”:”

Indian bowlers dominated the opening hour of the first ODI against New Zealand by taking early wickets. At the midway stage of the innings, the hosts were struggling at 109/5, having been put in to bat first.

Tim Seifert was the star with the bat in the powerplay for New Zealand, scoring a quickfire 38, including 3 fours and 2 sixes. Daryl Mitchell scored 28 before being run out by Rohit Sharma.

For India, Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar chipped in with two wickets each as the seamers dominated the proceedings.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Shubman Gill decided to bowl first as the toss was delayed due to rain. The Indian captain added that he wanted to use the overcast conditions to their advantage and take early wickets.

“We’re going to bowl first. A little bit of overcast, if there’s any reduction in the overs, it’s always good to have a target on the board. [On India’s preparations for the ODI series] Pretty good, I would say. A lot of good practice sessions and everyone is very excited and prepared for the series. [On India’s bowling combination] We are going with the four fast bowlers and two all-rounders, Naman and Axar, with Anshul, Auqib, Gurnoor and Arshdeep.” Gill said.

NZ captain Mitchell Santner was happy to bat first and also provided an update on Devon Conway’s injury.

“Obviously a quick turnaround from the T20 series, but yeah, we got to go again. And I guess on another good pitch. [On New Zealand’s squad depth and Devon Conway’s recovery] Yeah, I think it’s credit to where we’re at at the moment. Yeah, I guess with the schedules in both teams, it’s been a little bit more rotation than probably would be usually. But like I said, it gives guys opportunities. You know, so guys coming in and doing really well. So it’s been really enjoyable. It’s obviously we’re in a great spot. And Conway’s doing well. Obviously a bit of a head knock yesterday. So he’s just going to rest up and he’s obviously not playing today.” Santner said.

Playing XI for both teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner

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

“}]]