India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer made his international comeback in the first ODI against New Zealand on January 11 at BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara. The stylish batter played his first match after getting injured in Australia during the third ODI in Sydney. Iyer scored a brisk 49 off 47 balls and helped the team successfully chase a target of 301.
Why Iyer missed ODI series against South Africa
Iyer had picked up an injury during the third ODI against Australia on October 25, 2025, which forced him to miss the home series against South Africa. He worked his way back to full fitness at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and later proved his readiness by playing for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy before being recalled to the Indian team.
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Iyer's impact in the field during 1st ODI vs NZ
Apart from his contribution with the bat, Iyer also made an impact in the field. He produced a sharp throw to run out Michael Bracewell and later took a clean catch to dismiss Glenn Phillips off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling.
Iyer is on the verge of creating a unique milestone
Iyer is now closing in on a major personal milestone in ODI cricket. He needs just 34 more runs to reach 3,000 runs in the format, which would make him the fastest Indian to achieve the feat. So far, he has scored 2,966 runs in 68 innings at an average of 47.83, including five centuries and 22 half-centuries.
| Fastest Indian batsmen to score 3000 ODI runs | Innings taken |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 72 |
| Virat Kohli | 75 |
| KL Rahul | 78 |
| Navjot Singh Sidhu | 79 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 82 |
At present, the record for the quickest Indian to 3,000 ODI runs is held by Shikhar Dhawan, who reached the mark in 72 innings. Virat Kohli follows with 75 innings. If Iyer scores the required runs in the second ODI, he will achieve the milestone in just 69 innings.
India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI
The second ODI between India and New Zealand will take place on January 14 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.