What's the story? The Blackcaps have announced their squad for the first three games of the five-match ODI series against the Men in Blue which is set to begin on January 23rd (Wednesday). The background A strong Kiwi squad, led by Kane Williamson will take on Virat Kohli's Team India in a five-match ODI series that kicks off at Napier. The squad announced for the first three encounters comprises all-rounder, Mitchell Santner, who is set to play his first 50-over game in almost ten months. Wicket-keeper batsman Tom Latham and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme have made the cut while Doug Bracewell, who did not make the XI in any of the ODIs against Sri Lanka recently has also been retained. Bracewell though, impressed in the one-off T20I against Sri Lanka scoring 44 off 26 balls apart from picking up the wicket of Niroshan Dikwella. In-form, James Neesham and leggie Todd Astle who are recovering from the injuries have not been considered. Nevertheless, the duo can make the cut for the final two one-dayers. The heart of the matter The Kiwi coach Gary Stead told Cricinfo, "Our two main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series against India, and gathering as much information as possible ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales". The squad looks strong in all departments with several players in a red-hot form during the series against Sri Lanka. New Zealand squad for the first three ODIs: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor. What's next? With New Zealand announcing their strongest possible line-up, the ODI series promises to be an exciting contest. But we will have to wait and watch as to who will emerge victorious on February 2nd - Kane Williamson or Virat Kohli.<doc-sep>Hello #TeamIndia. Auckland welcomes you #NZvIND ✈️😎🇮🇳🇮🇳 https://t.co/8ER80bKS5b — BCCI (@BCCI) 1547978404000 AUCKLAND: The Indian cricket team on Sunday touched base in Auckland for their upcoming limited overs series against New Zealand, starting January 23.The Indian team will play five ODIs and three T20 Internationals during their three-week stay in the country.The BCCI uploaded a small video of Indian cricketers coming out of the Auckland airport, amidst cheers from a small but vocal pack of Indian supporters.The likes of Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik were seen signing autographs as the loudest cheer was reserved for skipper Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma.The Indian team will leave for Napier on Monday morning where the first ODI will be played on Wednesday.The subsequent ODIs will be played in Tauranga (January 26 and 28), Hamilton (January 31) and Wellington (February 3).The three T20s will be played in Wellington (February 6), Auckland (February 8) and Hamilton (February 10).The ODI matches will start at 7:30 am IST while the three T20Is will start at 12:30 pm IST.<doc-sep>India’s successful tour of Australia may have come to an end but they face a tougher challenge in playing New Zealand in their own backyard. (BCCI/Twitter) India’s successful tour of Australia may have come to an end but they face a tougher challenge in playing New Zealand in their own backyard. (BCCI/Twitter) Ind vs NZ, India vs New Zealand T20, ODIs 2019 Schedule, Time Table, Fixtures, Date: India’s tour of Australia ended on a happy note with a 2-1 ODI series win despite losing the first match. Now their focus shifts towards New Zealand in their own backyard. The five-match ODI series will be played between January 23 and February 3 and that will be followed by a T20I series that will be played between February 6 and 10. New Zealand are ranked third in ICC ODI rankings and have lost one series at home (to England) since December 2017. Kiwis have a chance of jumping past India in the rankings at the end of the series. The Men In Blue, on the other hand, would like to continue the winning momentum after securing their first bilateral ODI series win on Australian soil. After going down in the first match, India bounced back to win the next two in thrilling fashion. Virat Kohli has been the backbone of the Indian batting line-up, but the skipper would be elated to see veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni returning to form. Dhoni played a pivotal role in India’s triumph over Australia as he was the leading run-scorer among the Indians, with 193 runs in three matches. After guiding India to victories in the final two ODIs, the 37-year-old cricketer showcased his match-finishing abilities in limited-over cricket. Another interesting prospect that team India would like to examine ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in May is Shubman Gill’s batting abilities at the senior level. The 19-year-cricketer hailing from Punjab is the latest inclusion in the Indian squad. He amassed 790 runs in 10 innings at 98.75 in Punjab’s latest Ranji Trophy campaign and was also part of the Rahul Dravid India A side that toured New Zealand last month. ODI schedule 1st ODI on January 23 in Napier at 7.30 AM IST 2nd ODI on January 26 in Mount Maunganui at 7.30 AM IST 3rd ODI on January 28 in Mount Maunganui at 7.30 AM IST 4th ODI on January 31 in Hamilton at 7.30 AM IST 5th ODI on February 3 in Wellington at 7.30 AM IST T20I schedule 1st T20I on February 6 in Wellington at 12.30 PM IST 2nd T20I on February 8 in Auckland at 11.30 AM IST 3rd T20I on February 10 in Hamilton at 12.30 PM IST India squad ODI: Virat Kohli(c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, K Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill T20: Virat Kohli(c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar New Zealand squad for first 3 ODIs: Kane Williamson(c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.<doc-sep>
New Zealand have announced their squad for the first three ODIs vs India (Reuters Photo) New Zealand on Thursday brought back Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme in the team in its bid to field the strongest possible squad for the ODI series against India starting next week in Napier. Both Latham and de Grandhomme were rested during the 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka, but were included in the 14-member squad for the first three ODIs of the five-match series starting next Wednesday. Skipper Kane Williamson and pacer Trent Boult, who were rested for the lone Twenty20 against Sri Lanka last Friday, are too named in the squad alongside fit-again Mitchell Santner. Santner made his comeback in the lone Twenty20 against Sri Lanka after being sidelined by injury for 10 months. New Zealand coach Gary Stead said the squad had been selected keeping in mind two priorities -- first planning for the World Cup and secondly to give the Kiwis the best possible chance of winning the series against world no.2 India. "Our two main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series against India, and gathering as much information as possible ahead of the World Cup," Stead said. "Tom and Colin are experienced players in this format and will offer quality in their respective roles." New Zealand squad (first three ODIs): Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor. India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, K Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill.