After a thrilling beginning to the three-match series, India (IND) and New Zealand (NZ) are once again set to face each other for the second ODI on Wednesday, January 14 in a match that is scheduled to be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. Virat Kohli’s imperious form has managed to offset mounting injury concerns around some key players and India would hope that the list doesn’t get any longer as they close in on sealing the ODI series against New Zealand in the second game in Rajkot on Wednesday.
India made a winning start defeating New Zealand by four wickets in the lung-opener in Vadodara, but the hosts lost Washington Sundar for the remainder of the series due to a side strain. The selectors have roped in Delhi’s Ayush Badoni but in all likelihood, India would bring in another all-rounder in Nitish Kumar Reddy into the eleven given head coach Gautam Gambhir’s preference for multi-skilled players.
On the eve of the first ODI, Rishabh Pant had copped a blow while batting against Indian throw-down staff and was ruled out of the series. His ouster had prompted the selectors to draft in Dhruv Jurel who can be another option for a specialist batter if the team management decides to go that way. Despite the available options, India’s white-ball set up would not want to see more injuries with the T20 World Cup less than a month away.
IND vs NZ : Previous Performances
A confident Indian side will look to seal yet another white-ball series while hoping to avoid any further injuries when they take on New Zealand in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. Despite facing a second-string New Zealand side, the hosts were made to work hard for their victory in the opener in Vadodara.
The Shubman Gill-led side got off to a winning start to the series after winning in Vadodara. They had won the toss and opted to field first, and the decision seemed spot on, as the Men in Blue chased down the target set by the opposition with an over and four wickets to spare. A win in the upcoming contest would seal the series for them, and that is precisely what the Men in Blue will be playing for on Wednesday.
On a flat batting surface, New Zealand put up a challenging 301-run target. Virat Kohli’s fluent 93, his fifth fifty-plus score in a row, set up what seemed a comfortable chase. However, Kyle Jamieson injected some nerves into the contest with a sharp spell, removing Kohli and also dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer. The tall pacer finished with career-best figures, but KL Rahul held his nerve to see India home in the penultimate over, guiding Shubman Gill’s side to a four-wicket win.
Kohli narrowly missed out on a 54th ODI century, but his 91-ball 93 proved crucial even as a brief collapse brought New Zealand back into the game. Still, the Indian think tank is unlikely to be overly concerned, given the gap between the two sides and the visitors’ depleted squad. Captain Shubman Gill scored a composed half-century, while vice-captain Shreyas Iyer fell just one run short of his own milestone. A strong batting effort, built on Rohit Sharma’s brisk start, should give India the confidence to go hard once again.
Kohli, who has been putting in intense sessions in the nets, looks in complete control. He appears unburdened by expectations and criticism, batting with freedom and authority. He has shown no hesitation in attacking from the start while ensuring the runs keep flowing. That approach helped him become the fastest to 28,000 international runs during the Vadodara ODI.
India, however, will want more from their bowlers, particularly the spinners, who struggled for grip and turn in the first match. It was the fast bowlers’ clever use of slower deliveries that brought wickets, and the spinners will hope for better assistance from the surface in Rajkot.
New Zealand, on the other hand, showed a courageous display with the bat as well as the ball in the first encounter, but the result did not fall in their favour. However, the Michael Bracewell-led side will be wary of the conditions in Rajkot, and will certainly want to come out on top in today’s fixture and level the series to keep the fun alive.
Despite the loss, New Zealand can draw positives from how they pushed India in the opener. The required rate stayed around a run a ball for most of the chase before Jamieson’s three-wicket burst (4/41) changed the complexion of the game. A few dropped catches late in the innings, though, proved costly.
Earlier, left-handers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls added 117 for the first wicket to give New Zealand a solid start, but the middle order failed to build on it. World No. 3 Daryl Mitchell’s aggressive 84 lifted the total past 300. Late cameos from Mitchell Hay and Kristian Clarke were encouraging signs, and the visitors will hope young leg-spinner Adithya Ashok benefits from the experience gained in Vadodara.
IND vs NZ : Head to Head
The two teams have faced off 121 times in one-day internationals, and India have won 63 of those. The Black Caps have emerged victors 50 times, while one game was tied and seven ended in a no result. Of late, though, India have the wood over the Kiwis, with a 8-0 record in their previous eight meetings. The last time New Zealand beat India in an ODI was all the way back in November 2022 in Auckland.
| Matches Played | 121 |
| Won by IND | 63 |
| Won by NZ | 50 |
| Tied / No Results | 08 |
| First-ever Fixture | June 14, 1975 |
| Most recent Fixture | January 11, 2026 |
IND vs NZ : Pitch and Weather Report
The Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot will be hosting its fifth-ever ODI game on Wednesday, the stage cannot get bigger than this. The teams batting first have never lost a match at this venue, and it only goes on to show that how chasing could be an unlikely choice for the captain winning the toss in the upcoming match. Spinners will come into play in the latter half of the match, as the pitch here tends to slow down as the sun sets down.
The pitch at the Rajkot stadium is known to be very good for batting. All four ODIs played here so far have been won by the team batting first, starting from the first match in 2013. This shows that if a team makes the most of its innings while batting first, the toss may not play a big role. Teams are now used to handling moderate dew in Rajkot.
Rajkot, like Vadodara, is experiencing pleasant weather. Vadodara didn’t have enough dew to make gripping the ball difficult but the pitch did quicken up slightly in the cooler temperature. If you maximise your innings batting first, the toss should not be that big a factor in Rajkot because teams are now used to dealing with moderate amounts of dew.
Rajkot, like Vadodara, is enjoying pleasant weather. The forecast suggests mostly clear skies, which should allow for an uninterrupted match. Both teams can expect cool conditions during the Indian winter, with temperatures ranging from a low of 9 degrees Celsius to a high of 27 degrees Celsius. Humidity is expected to be around 60 per cent, with winds blowing at close to 10 km per hour.
The second string New Zealand side, led by Michael Bracewell, has shown that it can punch above its weight, even though the home team under Shubman Gill will start as overwhelming favourites. Expect another full house and yet another high-scoring game.
IND vs NZ : Big Picture : Can India seal another series win
Just like that, New Zealand’s nine-match winning streak has been halted. Such is the sway of conditions that this was the favourite result even though their opponents, India, were 3-3 in their last six matches. However, New Zealand can take heart from having dragged India to the 99th over of the match despite losing the toss. They will feel if they can do the same and find 20 more runs from somewhere they can threaten to shock full-strength India even with their inexperienced side.
India, on the other hand, will know they got through despite not being at their best with the bat. They largely bowled well to keep New Zealand to 300, but will not be happy with the struggle after Virat Kohli got out. They will quietly believe that if they can be close to their best they can seal the series even if they lose the toss and then hope to experiment in the final ODI.
Speaking of the toss, this new Rajkot stadium has a small sample size of four ODIs, but no side has chased successfully there yet. The formula, though, has been the same: bury the opposition under 350 if you are batting first.
IND vs NZ : Vital Stats that matters
- Vadodara was the first time in the last 13 ODIs that India’s bowlers went wicketless in the powerplay.
- Among visiting teams that have played India in India at least 20 times, New Zealand hold the worst win-loss record of 1-4, winning eight and losing 32 matches.
- The average 1st innings score at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot is 322.
- New Zealand are yet to win an ODI bilateral series in India in seven attempts. In fact, they have won just 8 out of 40 completed ODI matches against India in India.
- On Sunday, New Zealand lost an ODI match after nine consecutive wins post the Champions Trophy 2025. This was their joint-second-longest streak in ODIs. During this period, they won three three-match series against Pakistan, England, and West Indies, respectively, all at home.
- Since 2016, India have lost just two home bilateral ODI series, and both came against Australia. They have won 13 bilateral ODI series against other teams.
IND vs NZ : Team News for India and New Zealand
India :
Ayush Badoni is the injured Washington Sundar’s replacement in the squad thanks largely to his part-time bowling success in recent times. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy is already in the squad. The conditions might determine if Badoni gets a debut. Also Arshdeep Singh could replace Prasidh Krishna.
Ayush Badoni, drafted in for the injured Washington Sundar, has joined the team in Rajkot, but it is unlikely he will get his maiden international cap. The Indian team is expected to field Nitish Reddy for the match, while the other members of the ODI XI are likely to retain their places.
India Probable Playing XI : Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk) Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand :
New Zealand were a few runs short in Baroda and will need their batters to build on starts and navigate the middle overs a little better. On the bowling front, Kyle Jamieson is the leader of the attack, but he will need support from the likes of Kristian Clarke, Zakary Foulkes, and the other bowlers.
Henry Nicholls has slotted nicely into the opening role, which has made a slot available for wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay in the middle order. Legspinner Adithya Ashok had a chastening experience in Vadodara but New Zealand could stick with him. The other option is left-arm fingerspin of Jayden Lennox.
New Zealand Probable Playing XI : Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok
IND vs NZ : Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Virat Kohli
After narrowly missing out on his 54th century in One-Day Internationals, Virat Kohli will be eager to get to the three-figure mark in the upcoming clash. His records in the format at the venue is also excellent, and the star batter is also the highest run-getter at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in 50-over internationals. With form being on his side and the conditions being favourable, Virat is expected to have a memorable match.
Probable Best Bowler: Kyle Jamieson
Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson continued his brilliance with the ball in the series opening clash on Sunday. The BlackCaps pacer took four wickets, and took key wickets of Rohit, Virat, Iyer, and Jadeja and posed a real challenge to the Indian batters to chase the target, but in vain. The tall speedster will be banking on his abilities and bowl full throttle to help the Kiwis keep the series alive.
IND vs NZ : Match Prediction
It is a game of cricket and anything can happen on a given day. New Zealand are known to fight till the end and give their all. But taking everything into consideration, we feel India will start as favourites for this fixture. New Zealand will be no pushovers and can surprise India if India takes them lightly. But with New Zealand having a second-string side, and India full side, India should win this match. But cricket is a game of uncertainty and anything can happen.
India are the superior side of the two, and because of their experience, we predict India to win the second game.This Indian team is far more experienced than New Zealand in both departments, and they demonstrated this in the first game. Hence, we back India to win the second ODI as well.