Vadodara – Shubman Gill won the toss, looked up at a clear evening sky and put New Zealand in. Simple call, he said, with dew expected to leave the ball “skidding on nicely” later. “I am right where I have to be,” Gill added when quizzed about the chatter around his recent T20 World Cup omission.
It is the first men’s international at Kotambi Stadium, although the ground staged three women’s ODIs in late-2024. India took all those matches, two of them comfortably while defending, yet the ball nipped about sharply once the lights were on. Gill reckons conditions have drifted since then, so he was happy enough to chase. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell admitted he would have bowled first as well.
New Zealand named their XI yesterday, a habit they like on tour. Seam-bowling all-rounder Kristian Clarke debuts, while leg-spinner Adithya Ashok – born in Vellore – plays against the country of his birth for the first time. “Nice moment for the family,” coach Gary Stead said.
India, meanwhile, bring six bowling options: three quicks plus the spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Shreyas Iyer returns after the spleen injury that cut short his Australian trip last October, sliding straight back into the middle order.
Teams
New Zealand: Devon Conway (wk), Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell (c), Zak Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok.
India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Quick analysis
• Dew generally tilts evening matches here towards the side batting second; Gill has followed that script.
• Clarke offers New Zealand a bit of bounce and late-innings hitting – similar profile to the injured Adam Milne.
• India’s balance, with Jadeja at seven, hints at confidence in the top order’s durability.
• Iyer has not played since October; his timing against the new ball could be an early watch-point.
The bowlers will have, at best, 20 overs of a dry ball. After that it may turn into a contest of slower balls, yorkers and who fields cleanly in a greasy outfield. Not perfect, but that is usually part of the charm under lights in Gujarat.
