India and New Zealand lock horns with each other as Kane Williamson-led side won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first ODI of the three-match series on Friday. Meanwhile, India handed debuts to Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik and are fielding both Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.
The visitors are playing with three specialist fast bowlers while the hosts are going in with four of them.
Williamson had missed the final match of the T20I series due to a medical appointment but is back to lead the side.
India had won the three-match T20 series 1-0.
“It's an amazing place, I enjoy playing over here. No issues batting first, I would have bowled first. I feel the wicket is a bit sticky but the sun is out and it should dry out soon. With this team, we have played a few series earlier as well. It's a good opportunity for all the youngsters to perform and show their talents. We are very fortunate that we've got Indians all over the world and they keep supporting us, we are grateful for it. We've got 2 debutants - Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik,” India skipper Shikhar Dhawan said before the match.
“We are gonna have a bowl first. New surface here and a few unknowns. We have to make sure we stick to our ODI blueprint and make subtle adjustments. Most teams will have a lot of ODI cricket now. Each game is an opportunity to build as a side. It is unique, there has been a number fantastic games here. Generally it produces really good games of cricket. The guys are looking forward to this series. We are going with 4 seamers - Lockie, Adam Milne, Southee and Matt Henry - along with Santner. A slightly different balance with Neesham having a bit of a niggle at the moment,” New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson said after winning the toss.
India's playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, 4 Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal.
New Zealand's Playing XI: Kane Williamson (C), Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson.
