Not Virat Kohli, New Zealand captain wants to steal another India star ahead of NZ vs IND 2026 ODIs
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was asked to name the one Indian player he would take in his New Zealand side before the five-match home ODI series (via the Black Caps Instagram handle).
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was asked to name the one Indian player he would take in his New Zealand side before the five-match home ODI series (via the Black Caps Instagram handle). The Black Caps captain chose Indian skipper Shubman Gill over Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, three of the most experienced batters in India's ODI squad.
Gill arrives as the top-ranked batter in ODI cricket and the leading run-scorer in the format this year with 895 runs from 12 innings at an average of 111.87 and a strike rate of 118.70.
The choice makes more sense with Santner's own words attached to it. Asked on Tuesday about India's batting, he said:
“I think if we can get into their top order, particularly with Shubman Gill, who has been outstanding over the last five years, we can put ourselves in a good position.”
Meanwhile, Gill was asked the same question and named pacer Matt Henry, who has been a recurring problem for India with the new ball. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, he took 5/42 in Dubai, removing Gill and Kohli.
Shubman Gill's India lost their last ODI series to New Zealand
Team India suffered a surprising 1-2 home ODI series loss to New Zealand, the last time the teams met in the format, earlier this year. After a hard-fought four-wicket win in the opening ODI, the Men in Blue lost by seven wickets and 41 runs in the next two games, surrendering the series.
Daryl Mitchell was named Player of the Series, scoring 352 runs at an average of 176, including two centuries. Before the series earlier this year, the teams met in the ODI format in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai, which India won by four wickets.
Gill captains the first three ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer taking over for the last two. New Zealand are without Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman, both ruled out due to injury, and Devon Conway was concussed in training when he collided with Henry while going for a catch, ruling him out of the series opener.
The upcoming series begins with the opening ODI in Auckland on November 4.
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