India vs New Zealand: ODI Series 2026 Live Stream
It is rare for India to be away from international cricket for as long as 22 days, and rarer still for the game’s biggest commercial draw to be absent during the peak holiday window. That pause now ends as India return to action with a three-match ODI series against New Zealand, eager to make up for lost time.
While ODIs may currently sit behind Tests and T20Is in relevance, the format still holds special significance in India. It is also the only format in which two of India’s biggest stars of the past decade continue to feature regularly, making it the version of the game the country remains most closely aligned with.
New Zealand arrive with a very different outlook. Eight members of their 15-man squad have never played in India, two are yet to feature in international cricket at all, and one is set for his ODI debut. Five players have fewer than 10 ODIs to their name. Some absences are unavoidable—Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry and Mark Chapman are easing back from injuries, Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith won’t arrive in time, and Tom Latham is on paternity leave. Kane Williamson is also unavailable, having prioritised the SA20 over the tour.
The contrast in how bilateral ODI cricket is viewed by the two Full Members could hardly be starker. Yet it is New Zealand who come in riding a nine-match ODI winning streak, just one short of their longest ever run.
Team news: Shreyas Iyer returns
Shreyas Iyer’s recent fortunes have been mixed. A specialist in just one international format, he suffered a serious injury while taking a catch in Australia and has been sidelined for nearly three months. Now fully fit—and thankfully unharmed after a minor airport scare involving a dog—he returns as India’s vice-captain.
Jasprit Bumrah remains unavailable for the ODI leg, but Mohammed Siraj is back in contention and could replace Prasidh Krishna in the XI.
India (probable):
Shubman Gill (capt.), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand’s playing XI is expected to look very different from the side that recently completed a home whitewash of West Indies. A key decision will be whether Devon Conway takes on wicketkeeping duties in ODIs for the first time. If not, Mitchell Hay could feature in his first ODI since April.
New Zealand (probable):
Devon Conway (wk), Nick Kelly, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (capt.), Zak Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Rae, Adithya Ashok