India win toss and elect to bowl first against New Zealand in Auckland ODI

Auckland: The ODI series between India and New Zealand began today. In the first ODI, India won the toss and decided to bowl first, which means New Zealand will bat first.

India captain Shubman Gill also explained why he chose to bowl after winning the toss. All eyes will once again be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, India's bowling lacks experience, so New Zealand look slightly better placed for now.

A Test series follows the ODI series. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for it, while Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana are out of the squad with injuries. The extra responsibility has therefore fallen on the experienced Mohammed Siraj. Apart from Siraj, India have four more specialist bowlers. Arshdeep Singh has 18 ODIs and Gurnoor Brar has nine, while Anshul Kamboj and Akib Nabi have played one ODI each. Together, they have 29 ODIs of experience.

The fifth and final ODI will be played in Tauranga, and the Test series begins immediately after it. For this reason, some of India's star players will not play the last two ODIs. The ODI series ends on November 15 and the first Test will be played in Wellington on November 19. Captain Shubman Gill will also miss the last two ODIs to concentrate on the Tests.

Rohit and captain Gill to open the innings

India's top five batters in the ODIs are more or less settled. Rohit and captain Gill will open. Kohli and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will follow them. The experienced wicketkeeper-batter K L Rahul will play at number five.

India's pace attack weak

India's pace bowling department is weak, while New Zealand's side is largely made up of older players. The average age of their ODI team is between 34 and 35. Captain Mitchell Santner has hinted that the 2027 ODI World Cup could be the last tournament for many of the players.