New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell won the toss and elected to field first against India in the second One-Day International at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. Leading the three-match series 1-0, the “Men in Blue” are looking to secure the trophy today on what is traditionally known as a batter’s paradise.
Team News and Debuts
India was forced into one change for this crucial encounter. All-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a left rib injury sustained during the first game in Vadodara. In his place, the team management handed a start to seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, choosing his pace and power over the newly-inducted Ayush Badoni.
New Zealand also introduced fresh blood into their lineup, handing an ODI debut to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, who replaces Adithya Ashok. The BlackCaps are desperate to level the series after a narrow four-wicket defeat in the opening match.
Slow Start for the Openers
Despite the Rajkot surface having a reputation for high scores, the New Zealand new-ball pair of Kyle Jamieson and Zakary Foulkes started with clinical precision. Jamieson, who was the pick of the bowlers in the first ODI, began with a maiden over to Rohit Sharma, consistently hitting a challenging length.
Indian captain Shubman Gill and veteran Rohit Sharma adopted a watchful approach in the first five overs, focused on seeing off the early swing. Gill eventually broke the shackles in the fourth over, flaying Foulkes through point for the first boundary of the match.
Tv channels and live streaming details
| Region | Live Streaming (App/Web) | TV Channels |
|---|---|---|
| India | JioHotstar | Star Sports Network, DD Sports (Free-to-air) |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport Now | Sky Sport NZ |
| USA | Sling TV (Willow TV) | Willow TV |
| United Kingdom | Discovery+ | TNT Sports |
| Australia | Kayo Sports | Fox Sports (Foxtel) |
Vadodara ✅
Rajkot ❓An opportunity to seal the first series of the year against the No. 2 ODI side as #TeamIndia gets ready for Round 2! 🇮🇳#INDvNZ 👉 2nd ODI | WED, 14th JAN, 12.30 PM on Star Sports Network & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/BHwq2OuMpP
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 14, 2026
The Stakes
India enters this match with considerable momentum. In the series opener, a sublime 93 from Virat Kohli and a composed half-century from Shubman Gill helped India chase down a target of 301. However, New Zealand proved they are no pushovers; Daryl Mitchell’s aggressive 84 and Jamieson’s late four-wicket burst took the game into the penultimate over.
A win today would mark another series victory for India under Gill’s captaincy, while New Zealand must win to force a decider in the third and final ODI.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kristian Clarke and Kyle Jamieson.
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