New Zealand vs India, NZ vs IND, Today Match Prediction 25 November 2022

nz vs ind Match Prediction & Analysis

This will be a crucial ODI series for India with an eye on the upcoming World Cup at home. India’s bowling struggles and lack of depth in the batting department are some of the issues that can be addressed here. 

Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have served well in the bowling department in the white-ball format. At least one of these bowlers will be knocking on the doors for the World Cup squad next year. 

New Zealand will continue with an almost similar squad as in the T20I series. They have called back the reliable wicket-keeper batsman Tom Latham to join the team for the India ODIs.

Kane Williamson would be comfortable playing in the ODIs as there will be no pressure of maintaining a good strike rate. He can make a good comeback after the small break and will be key to the hosts’ success.

TEAMS PREVIEW

New Zealand Preview

The Blackcaps have been all over the place with their batting in the T20I series. In the final T20I, even after a good start by the top order, the hosts collapsed like a house of cards and ended up with a lot less on the board than what was expected.

Tom Latham would bring some balance to the batting order and help the hosts get back to doing what they do best. They have an excellent record at home and though their current team looks a lot different from the one that beat India 3-0 in 2020, New Zealand still have the advantage.

Devon Conway will be another key player to watch out for in this lineup along with skipper Kane Williamson. Both of them have delivered well in the longest format of the game, and ODIs would be a more comfortable zone for the two than T20Is.

New Zealand will also be looking to get their combinations right with the upcoming World Cup in view. Michael Bracewell, a batting all-rounder with an average of 44 from 12 ODIs is an interesting prospect. 

Matt Henry in the pace attack can go either way. He could be a game-changer but is more likely to be on the expensive side. Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson will be expected to deliver breakthroughs with Santner playing a crucial role with spin.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Latham, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee (c), Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Mitchell Josef Santner, Thomas William Maxwell Latham, Devon Philip Conway, Daryl Joseph Mitchell, Glenn Dominic Phillips, Matthew James Henry, Finnley Hugh Allen, Kane Stuart Williamson, Lachlan Hammond Ferguson, Timothy Grant Southee, Adam Fraser Milne

India Preview

Shikhar Dhawan is once again in the leadership position for an Indian team without their regulars. Sanju Samson’s name has cropped up in many of the experts’ suggestions.

With no Ishan Kishan in the squad, Samson’s chances of making it to the XI should improve. Shubman Gill and Dhawan would open the innings followed by Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav at 3 and 4 respectively.

The top-order looks solid. Iyer has been good in the ODIs and played a 52 runs knock against NZ in his last match at his venue. Suryakumar Yadav is in his best form in T20Is and will enjoy playing his strokes freely at Eden Park.

He is likely to carry his momentum and form into this series and will be a key player for India in the middle order. With no Hardik Pandya in the side, Deepak Hooda has the responsibility to play an impactful inning in the lower middle order. Hooda and Sundar will be in the finisher's role this time.

India’s bowling attack is strong enough to push NZ on the back foot. There’s Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar to start things off. Thakur and Chahal can deliver breakthroughs in the middle overs. Kuldeep Sen and Umran Malik are the new faces in the squad eager to make their ODI debuts.

India Predicted Playing XI:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Deepak Hooda, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik

India Actual Playing XI:

Yuzvendra Singh Chahal, Shreyas Santosh Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Sanju Viswanath Samson, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Suryakumar Ashok Yadav, Rishabh Rajendra Pant, Umran Malik, Shardul Narendra Thakur

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch used at Eden Park is a drop-in pitch. It is good for the batters and will pose challenges for the bowlers. Scattered showers are expected on the match day with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Eden Park in Auckland will host the opening match of the ODI series between India and New Zealand. The average 1st innings score at this ground is 220 runs. Teams have managed to score 270+ batting first in recent times and that can be a match-winning total.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams batting second have won 44 of the 79 ODIs played at this venue in Auckland. New Zealand have a deep batting lineup capable of chasing down totals while India has a bowling attack that would continue troubling the hosts. It is in the best interest of both teams to bowl first.