Cricket

India opt to bowl, pick Nabi and Kamboj

India Opt to Bowl in Series Opener as Nabi and Kamboj Get OpportunitiesAuckland — Returning captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field under overcast conditions in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park. Intermittent drizzle delayed the toss by 20 minutes and pushed back the start time, though no overs were lost in the build-up. While recent ODI matches at Eden Park have seen sides batting under lights struggle, the damp early conditions prompted the Indian team management to put the hosts in to bat first.Key Takeaways from the Team SelectionsPacers In, Siraj Misses Out: India opted for bowling depth by including Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj in the playing XI alongside Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh, leaving Mohammed Siraj on the sidelines. The spin workload falls on all-rounders Naman Dhir and Axar Patel. Core Batting Order Restored: Captain Shubman Gill returned to lead the side, joining senior stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer in a reinforced batting lineup.Forced Changes for New Zealand: A pre-match training incident resulted in a concussion for Devon Conway after a collision with Matt Henry, ruling both players out. Tim Seifert was called up to make his ODI return, with Henry Nicholls added as a specialist batter over all-rounder Michael Bracewell.Playing XIsIndia XI:Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh. New Zealand XI:Mitchell Santner (Captain), Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (Wicketkeeper), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy.