India has included seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy in the team as New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. India leads the three-match series 1-0 following their victory in the series opener in Vadodara. Nitish replaces Washington Sundar, who is sidelined due to a left rib injury and will be evaluated by the BCCI medical team.
India’s captain Shubman Gill expressed a preference for batting first considering the recent games at the venue. He highlighted the slowing down of the pitch as the innings progress and his personal form from the last game. Gill emphasized the importance of the middle overs in the previous match and praised the bowlers for their performance under challenging conditions.
On the other hand, New Zealand has introduced left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox for his debut, replacing leg-spinner Adithya Ashok in the playing eleven. Captain Michael Bracewell mentioned the favorable pitch conditions and the hope for dew later in the evening to aid batting under lights. He commended his team’s fighting spirit in the last game and emphasized the importance of taking wickets consistently to maintain pressure.
Both teams have finalized their playing XIs for the match. India’s lineup includes Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. New Zealand’s playing XI features Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson, and Kristian Clarke.
