Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's prime form is expected to drive India's progress in ODIs as the full-strength hosts take on a new-look New Zealand in the first match of the three-match series on Sunday.
Even as focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
There has been no dearth of game-time for the two superstars who played a couple of matches each in the Vijay Hazare Trophy's league round, piling up big runs to underline that they are not going away anytime soon.
But it remains to be seen how India captain Shubman Gill responds after being axed from the T20 World Cup side, with his form being a concern apart from the injuries that kept him out of the majority of the series against South Africa late last year.
Gill's return, however, is likely to take Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the top order where he scored his maiden ODI ton in the last match against South Africa.
The return of Shreyas Iyer should end a largely unsuccessful run of experiments in the batting order, with the 31-year-old set to claim his No 4 spot back.
KL Rahul's continued role as a lower-order batter and wicketkeeper is set to keep Rishabh Pant out of the XI, with the latter remaining second choice in the 50-overs format.
While Iyer, Pant and Mohammed Siraj were not part of the preparations for the ODI series here in Kotambi until Saturday, Ravindra Jadeja trained at full tilt on Friday, signalling his availability.
Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are not part of the ODI series to keep them fresh for T20 assignments, leaving the pace-bowling duties to Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna.
Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Jadeja will share the spin-bowling responsibilities in a format where evening dew and the flat nature of wickets across the country ensure that the emphasis shifts to containment rather than aggressive wicket-taking.
It will be the first time that the new Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Kotambi will host a men's international. The venue has previously hosted a women's ODI series between India and the West Indies.
For New Zealand, their loss to India in last year's Champions Trophy final carries little significance, as this series presents an ideal opportunity to test new and second-line players.
Whether they have their preferred players available or not, the Black Caps will stick to the team mantra which worked wonders in their last visit to India in 2024-25 when they hammered India 3-0 in the Test series.
During that tour, several Kiwi players spoke about wanting to “fire the first shot” against India and the team mantra on this trip is "you are where your feet are", something that is meant to keep the players' minds on the task and not on the challenges around them, given New Zealand are without several of their frontline players and facing India in their backyard.
Mitchell Santner is missing the ODIs due to a groin injury and Tom Latham is back home for the birth of his first child. Former captain Kane Williamson is in South Africa, fulfilling his T20 commitments in the SA20.
Rachin Ravindra and fast bowler Jacob Duffy have been rested, while Matt Henry, returning from calf tear, is focused on returning in the T20I series keeping the World Cup in mind.
Michael Bracewell will lead the side in Santner's absence, who will return for the T20Is, while attention will also be on how the lanky all-rounder Kyle Jamieson and the 23-year-old leg-spinner Adithya Ashok perform.
Jayden Lennox has been brought into the Kiwis' side as a like-for-like replacement for Santner.
Even as they have plenty of new and inexperienced faces in the squad, New Zealand still have a formidable batting strength which includes Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will Young and even Glenn Phillips.
(With PTI inputs)
To clarify, the quote "Surely it's time" regarding Virat Kohli’s retirement was actually a viral message sent to him by his former teammate Robin Uthappa, rather than a statement from Kohli himself.
Ahead of the India vs. New Zealand ODI series (starting January 11, 2026), Uthappa shared a picture of Kohli practicing in the nets with the caption: "Them eyes tell u a story... Surely it's time to rescind his Test retirement."
Context of the Message
The "Retirement": Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He had already stepped away from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup, making ODIs his only active international format.
Uthappa’s Plea: Seeing Kohli’s intense focus and recent "red-hot" form (including back-to-back centuries against South Africa in December 2025), Uthappa and several fans are urging him to return to the Test side, especially given India’s recent struggles in the longest format.
Kohli’s Current Stance: Despite the public's emotional appeal, Kohli recently told commentators that he is settled in his decision to play one format only (ODIs) to manage his career longevity and focus on the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India vs. New Zealand ODI Schedule (January 2026)
Kohli remains the focal point for the upcoming series as he nears another massive milestone.
| Match | Date | Venue | Significance |
| 1st ODI | Jan 11, 2026 | Vadodara | Kohli needs 94 runs to surpass Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in IND-NZ ODIs. |
| 2nd ODI | Jan 14, 2026 | Rajkot | Continuing preparation for the 2027 World Cup. |
| 3rd ODI | Jan 18, 2026 | Indore | Final match of the home series. |
Important Note: While Kohli’s Test retirement is the subject of debate, he has sent no message about retiring from ODIs. In fact, he is currently chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record for the most ODI centuries (he currently has 53).
Would you like me to track the live score for the 1st ODI in Vadodara tomorrow, or are you interested in seeing Kohli's head-to-head stats against the current New Zealand bowling attack?
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