India Star Benched Again As Shubman Gill Makes Bold Playing XI Call For 1st ODI vs New Zealand

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir during a discussion© X (Twitter)

As India captain Shubman Gill announced the team selection during the toss, ahead of the start of the first ODI, the absence of one particular name left fans disappointed. Kuldeep Yadav, who didn't feature in a single T20I against New Zealand, was left on the bench for the ODI series opener too. Axar Patel was the sole spinner to have been picked in the playing XI, thanks to his ability with the bat. Even all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy didn't have a place in the team as head coach Gautam Gambhir decided to name four mainstream pace bowlers in the playing XI.

At top, there was no surprise as the trio of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were picked to lead the batting unit. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel slotted in at the No. 4 and No. 5 slots while KL Rahul came in at the No. 6 spot.

Naman Dhir, who impressed everyone with his performances in the T20I series, was picked in the playing XI at the No. 7 spot to play the role of a finisher. The pace bowling unit consisted of 4 names - Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh.

Surprisingly, there was no place for Mohammed Siraj, the senior-most pacer in the squad, in the playing XI.

"We're going to bowl first. A little bit of overcast, if there's any reduction in the overs, it's always good to have a target on the board," Gill said after winning the toss. When asked about the preparations, he added: "Pretty good, I would say. A lot of good practice sessions, and everyone is very excited and prepared for the series."

The series is also being seen as a good preparatory campaign for the ODI World Cup next year. Gill's comments confirmed the same.

"Extremely important, I'd say. The conditions that we are going to get here would be a lot more similar to the ones in South Africa as compared to other parts of the world. So in terms of that, it'll be a really good experience for us, hopefully we get some good success here," said the India captain.

On the team composition, Gill made his choices clear. "We are going with the four fast bowlers and two all-rounders with Naman and Axar, with Anshul, Auqib, Gurnoor and Arshdeep," he said.

India's playing XI: Shubman Gill(c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh

Kuldeep, Nitish, and Siraj were arguably the biggest names not to make the playing XI.

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