India vs New Zealand 1st ODI: As easy as it gets! After some wonderful bowling, India back it up with good batting and win the first match of the series. Dhawan and Rohit played Powerplay 1 well enough. The players then had to stop play because the 'sun' was disturbing them. After they came back, Rohit fell but Kohli anchored the innings well and didn't allow the Black Caps a sniff. The Indian skipper missed out on a fifty but Dhawan went on and scored his 50 taking India to victory alongside Rayudu handing India a big 8-wicket win. (Scorecard)
Highlights, India vs New Zealand 1st ODI Live from Napier:
14.20 IST: Till now, whatever we have achieved has been a team effort. We enjoy each other's success and are able to execute our plans. If we have a plan A that doesn't work, there's always a Plan B. As a bowling unit, we decide things together. Injuries changed my outlook. I made a comeback after a long time and spent a good time at our rehab centre which is world class. The management and support staff have been really cooperative, as has been my captain who has always encouraged me. The grounds in Australia were bigger and climate was warmer, here the venues are smaller with pleasant temperatures. Important to adapt and we're enjoying it: Mohammed Shami after winning the man-of-the-match.
14.18 IST: The Kiwi bowlers were good but didn't have enough runs to play with. Ferguson and Bracewell got a wicket each but that was all about it. You cannot win a match if you have 157 on the board and not take the opposition all out.
14.12 IST: As easy as it gets! After some wonderful bowling, India back it up with good batting and win the first match of the series. Dhawan and Sharma played the Powerplay well enough. The players then had to stop play because the 'sun' was disturbing the players. After they came back, Rohit fell but Kohli anchored the innings well and didn't allow the Black Caps a sniff. Kohli missed out on a fifty but Dhawan went on and took India to victory alongside Rayudu handing India a big 8 wicket win.
14.08 IST: It's all over! That will do. Length ball outside off, Rayudu taps it with soft hands to the off side and responds to Dhawan's call who makes it in time. INDIA WIN BY 8 WICKETS!
14.06 IST: FOUR! Scores tied! Pitches it up outside off, Rayudu comes down the track and lofts this over covers. Boundary. Just one run away now. IND 155/1 (34.2 overs)
14.04 IST: Bracewell didn't allow Rayudu to cut loose as the Indian no.4 looked to finish it off. Just gives away 2 runs. IND 150/2 (34 overs)
14.00 IST:Ferguson gives away just 3 runs in his 8th over. IND 148/2 (33 overs)
13.56 IST:3 comes off Bracewell's over. IND 145/2 (32 overs)
13.51 IST:3 runs off the over from Ferguson. IND 142/2 (31 overs)
13.47 IST:3 off Bracewell's over. IND 139/2 (30 overs)
13.44 IST:Doug Bracewell back on for the hosts.
13.43 IST: 5 runs a wicket from Ferguson's over. IND 136/2 (29 overs)
13.42 IST: FOUR! Edge and a boundary! Length ball outside off, Rayudu feels for it and gets an outside edge past the diving keeper to the third man fence.
13.42 IST: Ambati Rayudu is the new man in.
13.41 IST: OUT! Back-to-back dismissals in the 40s for Virat Kohli. He was dismissed for 46 in the MCG ODI. Him not converting is very rare. Short ball down the leg side, Kohli looks to hook it but gets a faint edge to the keeper back. The keeper appeals and Virat walks. Kohli falls for 45. IND 132/2 (28.4 overs)
13.38 IST:5 taken off Santner. IND 131/1 (28 overs)
13.35 IST:3 runs from Ferguson's over. IND 126/1 (27 overs)
13.30 IST:Ferguson is back on for New Zealand.
13.29 IST: A single in each ball off Santner's over. IND 123/1 (26 overs)
13.26 IST:Half-way through the innings as Southee completes his over. IND 117/1 (25 overs)
13.24 IST: Not out! There is some bat involved and Kohli survives. Length delivery angling in from around off, Virat moves across to play it on the leg side but is caught on the pads. A loud shout goes up and so does the finger. He quickly signals the 'T' which indicates that there was some bat. Replays roll in and Snicko confirms the same.
13.23 IST: Review taken. Virat Kohli is caught leg before and adjudged out. He, however, has taken the DRS. Signals to his partner that there was some bat involved. Let's see now.
13.20 IST: 5 runs from the over. IND 115/1 (24 overs)
13.18 IST:4 runs from Southee's over. IND 110/1 (23 overs)
13.16 IST: Shikhar Dhawan hits 26th ODI fifty. IND 109/1 (22.5 overs)
13.14 IST: Southee back on for New Zealand.
13.14 IST: 3 off Santner's over. IND 106/1 (22 overs)
13.09 IST:Boult gives away 6 runs. IND 103/1 (21 overs)
13.05 IST:Just 3 runs off Santner's over. IND 97/1 (20 overs)
13.03 IST:Just two off Boult's over. IND 94/1 (19 overs)
13.02 IST: Boult is back on for the hosts.
13.01 IST: Santner keeps it tight. IND 92/1 (18 overs)
12.57 IST: 6 runs off Bracewell's over. IND 91/1 (17 overs)
12.53 IST:9 runs off Santner's first over. IND 86/1 (16 overs)
12.51 IST: FOUR! In the air but right in the gap. Lucky or precision placement? Could be anything with the Indian skipper. He comes ahead and drives it aerially between Southee and Guptill, who dive but can't stop it. A boundary results. IND
12.50 IST: Santner into the attack.
12.47 IST: FOUR! This is subtly done. Just exquisite. Angling in from outside off, a length ball over the wicket at 150 clicks, Kohli just opens the face and dabs it behind point. Coolly done too. IND 76/1 (15 overs)
12.46 IST: Lockie Ferguson to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Ferguson goes short and is punished. On off, Kohli stays on the back foot and muscles the pull over mid-wicket for a boundary. Picked up the length early there, so was able to position himself quickly for the shot.
12.38 IST: 4 BYES! IND 59/1 (12.3 overs)
12.37 IST: FOUR! IND 54/1 (12.1 overs)
12.36 IST:4 runs from Bracewell's over. IND 50/1 (12 overs)
12.35 IST: DROPPED! Difficult chance though. Back of a length delivery on the stumps, Dhawan rocks back and pulls. It goes off the top edge and balloons towards the leg side. Latham rushes to get under the ball, but the wind is taking it away from him. He still dives and gets his gloves to it, but he's always reaching and it falls down off his fingertips. Single taken.
12.33 IST: The target has been revised to 156 from 49 overs due to the halt in play.
12.32 IST: 3 runs from the over off Ferguson. IND 46/1 (11 overs)
12.28 IST: Ferguson to resume and Dhawan is on strike.
12.26 IST: The players are coming out to resume the match and the fans feel Kohli will guide India to victory.
12.10 IST: Here's an interesting fact about this ground - Usually, grounds have the playing surface facing North-South, but McLean Park has it facing East-West. Hence, this issue.
12.00 IST: Both the umpires, Shaun Haig and Shaun George, were caught to get updates on the situations. They say the sun was not only hampering the batsman, but also the fielders as it was directly coming into their eyes. They also go on to mention that they have an extra 30 minutes, and play should resume in that time, so we should have a full 50-over game.
11.54 IST: So...this is interesting. We have a halt in play due to the sun bearing down directly on the batsman's eyes. The umpires talk amongst themselves and decide to stop play for some time. The players are off the field.
11.50 IST: Ferguson to contine from the other end.
11.48 IST: Virat Kohli is new man in.
11.47 IST: OUT! There it is the first breakthrough and Bracewell strikes! Length and outside off, invites Sharma to play on the up. Rohit plays a rather loose shot and gets an outside edge to Guptill at first slip who takes it at a good height. First wicket for the Kiwis and they will hope they get another one quickly. IND 41/1 (9.2 overs)
11.45 IST:The players are out in the middle to resume the game. Rohit to take strike while Doug Bracewell has the ball in hand.
11.07 IST: Shami started the destruction of the Kiwi batsmen while Kuldeep and Chahal continued to torment the line-up. Williamson's gritty fifty ensured that the hosts got past the 150-run mark. Still not over for the Black Caps. If they manage to get some quick wickets post the interval, things could happen, you never know.
11.02 IST: So the players finally take the Dinner break ad India surely on top of this game. New Zealand would have hoped for a couple of wickets before the break but Sharma and Dhawan have seen out the opening 9 overs. Boult and Southee did bowl well at the start but India were happy to just see them out.
11.02 IST: FOUR! Brilliant placement. Shorter on length around off, Dhawan just opens the face off the bat and guides it towards the vacant backward point region for a boundary. Solid start here for India. 41/0 (9 overs)
10.58 IST:Change in bowling for the hosts. Ferguson has the ball now.
10.57 IST: 10 runs off the over. IND 36/0 (8 overs)
10.56 IST: FOUR! Lovely! Outside off, there to be hit. Dhawan in total balance pierces the gap through cover-point and gets his second boundary of the over. Looking good now. IND 34/0 (7.4 overs)
10.54 IST: FOUR! Exquisite! Overpitched on off, Dhawan just punches this along the turf and down the ground through mid off. The mid off fielder hares behind it but gives up the chase. All timing on that. IND 30/0 (7.1 overs)
10.53 IST: 8 runs from the over. IND 26/0 (7 overs)
10.51 IST: FOUR!That will do! Full and on the pads, Dhawan flicks it away with disdain away from his sight and into the square leg boundary. IND 18/0 (6.2 overs overs)
10.49 IST:Southee concedes a six runs from the over. IND 18/0 (6 overs)
10.48 IST: FOUR! Rohit takes the charge. Comes down the track and hits it over long on for a boundary. He didn't time it well but it had enough to clear the man at mid on. IND 17/0 (5.5 overs)
10.45 IST: Boult continues his economical bowling. IND 12/0 (5 overs)
10.41 IST:5 runs from Southee's over. IND 11/0 (4 overs)
10.41 IST: FOUR!EDGE and just away. Full on the off stump, Dhawan closes the bat face early and looks to go on side but gets a leading edge which balloons behind the point region. Santner dives near the ropes, gets a hand to it but cannot stop the ball from going to the ropes. IND 10/0 (3.5 overs)
10.38 IST: Just one run from Boult. IND 6/0 (3 overs)
10.34 IST:3 runs off the over from Southee. IND 5/0 (2 overs)
10.31 IST:Tim Southee to share the new ball with Boult.
10.30 IST: Tidy over from Boult. IND 2/0 (1 over)
10.26 IST: 34 minutes to go for the break. Can New Zealand prize out a wicket or two? Rohit to take strike while Trent Boult has the ball for the hosts.
10.22 IST: Kuldeep says the ground size is small on one side. Mentions that him and Chahal just stick to the basics and get the success for it. Feels that it's a proper batting wicket and that 160-plus is chaseable. Reckons that these games are important for all three departments, keeping the upcoming World Cup in mind. Adds that there is support everywhere in the world for their side and it's amazing to see.
10.21 IST: India will come out to bat for around 30 minutes. A poor batting performance from New Zealand on a good batting strip.
10.14 IST: OUT! Edged to first slip. The innings is done. The googly outside off, Boult pushes at it, does not pick the line and gets a thick outside edge. Simple catch for Rohit Sharma. Kuldeep has got his 4th. He ends with figures of 4/39 as New Zealand are bowled out for 157.
10.13 IST: SIX! Not a bad shot. Full and around off, Southee gets down and slog sweeps it over mid-wicket. NZ 156/9 (37.2 overs)
10.13 IST: Kuldeep to bowl his last.
10.12 IST: Just one run off the over and Chahal is bowled out with figures of 2/43. NZ 150/9 (37 overs)
10.09 IST: Just 2 runs and a wicket from the over. NZ 149/9 (36 overs)
10.07 IST: OUT! MS Dhoni, enough said! Fligthed ball on off, spins away from Ferguson who comes ahead to push it to the off side. Gets beaten for the turn and Dhoni quickly does what he does best. Takes off the bails and then puts in an appeal. The umpire takes it up and replays show us that there is Ferguson has nothing behind the line. On the line is not good enough and Lockie has to walk. Ninth one down for the Kiwis. Ferguson falls for 0. NZ 148/9 (35.2 overs)
10.03 IST:1 run from Chahal's 9th over. NZ 147/8 (35 overs)
10.03 IST: DROPPED!
10.01 IST: Huge, huge shout for LBW! Turned down! Kuldeep is on his haunches. Nearly had his third in this over. The googly again, around leg, Lockie had no idea about this as he looked to defend. Missed the line and was hit on the pads. The umpire though, gave no thought to the appeal. Hawk Eye shows it to be dead plumb.
10.00 IST: Lockie Ferguson is the new man in.
09.59 IST: OUT! OUT! Chopped on! Second wicket in the over and now, the Kiwis might not even see Powerplay 3. The googly outside off, short in length, Bracewell goes back to cut but does not pick the length or the line. Is too far from the ball and only gets a thick inside edge back onto the stumps. NZ 146/8 (33.5 overs)
09.58 IST:Tim Southee is the next man in.
09.56 IST: OUT! OUT! Caught in the deep! Williamson is gone and with that, the chances of a 250 or even a competitive score are gone too, one would think. First wicket for Kuldeep and he has got the trump card. The break has done the trick for the Indians. Beautifully tossed up around off, Williamson takes the gamble of going after the chinaman. The idea might have been wrong at this stage with not many wickets left. And it turns out to be a bad gamble. The skipper mistimes it and Vijay Shankar takes it comfortably at long on. Fabulous knock from the captain once again, under pressure. Upto his bowlers to make a match out of this. NZ 146/7 (33.1 overs)
09.52 IST: DRINKS! India continue to do well on a track which does not seem to have too much for the bowlers. The wickets have fallen plainly due to consistent dogged bowling, not giving too much room. That sustained pressure has resulted in some shots being played out of frustration and eventually, wickets have fallen. 17 overs left and it does look a tall ask for the home side to bat out those. However, should Williamson stay till the end, 250 is a possibility. Whether that will be enough or not is a different question.
09.52 IST: 6 runs from the over off Chahal. NZ 146/6 (33 overs)
09.52 IST: FOUR! Stamping his authority. Full and around off, Bracewell gets one foot forward and lofts it with power over the bowler, almost dead-straight. One bounce and into the fence. NZ 146/6 (33 overs)
09.48 IST:4 runs off the over from Kuldeep. NZ 140/6 (32 overs)
09.45 IST:3 runs from the over. NZ 136/6 (31 overs)
09.43 IST:Chahal is back on for India.
09.41 IST: Doug Bracewell is the new man in.
09.38 IST: OUT! LBW! Plumb, plumb, dead plumb. When you get across, you cannot miss. If you miss, you get dismissed. That has exactly what has happened here. Santner walks across his stumps and Shami keeps it full and straight. Mitchell looks to flick but is beaten by pace. Is hit on the pads and is plumb in front. Shami appeals, the umpire takes his time but eventually raises his finger. Santner departs for 14. NZ 133/6 (29.4 overs)
09.35 IST: 5 runs from the over. NZ 132/5 (29 overs)
09.34 IST: India lose a review!
09.31 IST: FOUR! Short ball, you get them with the leg spinner. Kane rocks back and pulls this through square leg and the ball crosses the ropes. NZ 131/5 (28.2 overs)
09.30 IST:5 runs from Shami's first over of his second spell. NZ 127/5 (27.5 overs)
09.29 IST: FOUR! FOUR! Not in total control but will take it. Short ball on the leg side, Santner looks to help it but gets a top edge which goes past Dhoni and into the fine leg boundary. NZ 127/5 (27.5 overs)
09.27 IST:Shami is back on for India.
09.26 IST: 8 runs from the over. NZ 122/5 (27 overs)
09.23 IST: SIX! Not afraid to take the spinner on. Tossed up on middle, Santer gets under it and lofts this over long on. Maximum. NZ 120/5 (26.1 overs)
09.22 IST:Williamson hits his 36th ODI fifty.
Williamson's 50 gives NZ hopes in first ODI
09.19 IST: Just 2 runs from Kuldeep's 4th over. NZ 109/5 (25 overs)
09.16 IST:Mitchell Santner is the next man in.
09.15 IST: OUT! Jadhav strikes. NZ 107/5 (24 overs)
09.13 IST: FOUR! NZ 106/4 (23.3 overs)
09.12 IST:4 runs from the Kuldeep over. NZ 101/4 (23 overs)
09.08 IST:6 runs from Jadhav's first over. NZ 97/4 (22 overs)
09.06 IST: FOUR! Not the best start. Short and outside off, Nicholls stands inside and cuts it through point for a boundary. No fielder there and the balls runs away. NZ 95/4 (21.1 overs)
09.05 IST:Kedar Jadhav into the attack now.
09.04 IST: FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Kane. This was short outside off, Williamson rocks back and pulls it in the same region for another boundary. 10 runs from the over. NZ 91/4 (21 overs)
09.04 IST: FOUR! What a shot! Lovely use of feet and excellent placement. Comes down the track and clips this through mid-wicket. Bisects the field and the ball touches the ropes. NZ 87/4 (20.5 overs)
09.00 IST:4 runs from Kuldeep's second over. NZ 81/4 (20 overs)
08.57 IST:Another successful over from Chahal. NZ 77/4 (19 overs)
08.57 IST:Henry Nicholls is the next man in.
08.55 IST: OUT! Another caught and bowled for Chahal. Latham falls for 11. NZ 76/4 (18.5 overs)
08.53 IST: FOUR! Lovely shot. Full and around middle, Latham comes forward and chips it beautifully over mid on. Shikhar Dhawan runs to his left from long on but the ball races away past him in a flash. NZ 76/3 (18.4 overs)
08.50 IST:Just 3 runs from Kuldeep's first over. NZ 69/3 (18 overs)
08.48 IST:Kuldeep Yadav into the attack now.
08.47 IST: 5 runs from Chahal's fourth over. NZ 66/3 (17 overs)
08.44 IST: DROPPED!Oh dear! Kedar Jadav has put down the Kiwi skipper. Short ball on the hips, Williamson pulls it away but finds Kedar at deep square leg. Jadav gets low but cannot hold onto it. Big miss this, how costly will it prove?
08.41 IST: FOUR! Nicely done and well in control. Not too short, Kane checks his pull and just glances this away through square leg. The fine leg fielder is fine and the ball touches the ropes. NZ 58/3 (15.2 overs)
08.39 IST: A wicket and two runs from Chahal's 3rd over. NZ 54/3 (15 overs)
08.38 IST:Tom Latham is the next man in.
08.36 IST: OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Boy. Stop the press. Chahal has taken a caught and bowled dismissal. That too, with the ball dipping onto him. Beautifully flighted outside off, Taylor comes forward to push but cannot keep it down. The ball dips onto the bowler who does well to take it inches above the ground. Fabulous catch. Taylor falls for 24. NZ 52/3 (14.3 overs)
08.34 IST: 9 runs from the over. NZ 52/2 (14 overs)
08.31 IST: FOUR!And, with that boundary, New Zealand go past 50. NZ 52/2 (13.3 overs)
08.30 IST: FOUR! That is a superb shot. Simply superb. Tell you why. The ball is short and Taylor unfurls the cut shot. What is so superb about that, you ask? Alright. Let me give you some talking points first. NZ 47/2 (13.1 overs)
08.29 IST:Another economical over from Chahal. NZ 43/2 (13 overs)
08.25 IST:Just two runs from Shankar's second over. NZ 40/2 (12 overs)
08.22 IST: SAFE! Taylor is well in. Many batsmen get out these days in such fashion. Full and around off, Williamson gets forward and across and drives it straight back. Shankar looks to stop it with a bend in his follow through and the ball deflects off his hands behind. Hits the stumps and India appeal confidently. It is referred upstairs but replays show that Rosco stretched well enough to get back in before the ball hit the stumps.
08.21 IST: 4 runs from Chahal's first over. NZ 38/2 (11 overs)
08.18 IST:Yuzvendra Chahal has the ball now for India.
08.18 IST: Just one run off Shankar's first over. NZ 34/2 (10 overs)
08.13 IST: Change in the bowling for India. Vijay Shankar has the ball for the visitors.
08.13 IST:Five runs from Bhuvneshwar's fifth over. NZ 33/2 (9 overs)
08.10 IST: FOUR! Cutting lose is Taylor! Pitched up ball on off, Ross shimmies down a bit and lofts this through the line over mid-wicket for a one-bounce boundary. NZ 32/2 (8.3 overs)
08.08 IST:8 runs from the over from Shami. NZ 28/2 (8 overs)
08.07 IST: FOUR! Magnificent shot! Taylor is in good form and it's showing. Short ball outside off, Taylor quickly gets into position and pulls it through mid-wicket. The ball races away to the fence. NZ 27/1 (7.4 overs)
08.03 IST:Just one run from Bhuvneshwar's fourth over.
07.58 IST: Second maiden over of the innings from Shami. NZ 19/2 (6 overs)
07.57 IST: JUST SHORT!That would have been a third for Shami. Pitches it up and changes his length. Serves this wider and invites Williamson for the drive. Kane reaches for it and uppishly drives it to Kohli at point. The Indian skipper dives forward but it falls just short of him.
07.54 IST: Shami makes a statement.
07.49 IST: Ross Taylor is the next man in. He has been in sensational form and is only second to Virat Kohli in terms of average since the 2015 World Cup.
07.48 IST: OUT! Shami you beauty! Second wicket in two overs and he is roaring. On a good length, gets the ball nipping back into the left-hander. Munro looks to drive it but is totally beaten. The ball goes on to his the top of middle and New Zealand lose their second wicket. Excellent line and length from Shami. New Zealand's openers are back in the hut. Another dangerous batsman dismissed. Munro departs for 8. NZ 18/2 (3.3 overs)
07.45 IST: CLASS!Kane Williamson special! Slightly overpitched outside off, Williamson gets forward and just punches this through covers. From the sweet spot and away she goes. NZ 17/1 (3.1 overs)
07.43 IST: FOUR! That is Munro's area. Full and outside off, Munro goes over mid off and clears the fielder comfortably. Almost clears the ropes. NZ 13/1 (2.5 overs)
07.42 IST: FOUR!That is a terrific shot! The timing is excellent. The length is not all that bad, fractionally short of a good length but Munro just lifts his right leg up and plays a Nataraja pull shot through mid-wicket! NZ 9/1 (2.4 overs)
07.40 IST: STAT: Guptill's wicket was Shami's 100th in ODIs and with that he becamee the fastest to 100 ODI wickets for India.
07.38 IST: Kane Williamson is the new man in.
07.38 IST: OUT! Shami strikes! Sets up Guptill perfectly. Inswing, outswing and now another ball moving away. On a good length around off. Moves away a tad. Martin looks to play it on the off side but gets a faint edge and onto the stumps. The lights flash and India are up in celebration. Martin Guptill is a huge wicket. Shami goes past Irfan Pathan to fastest Indian to 100 wickets who took it in 59 games. This is Shami's 56th ODI. NZ 5/1 (1.5 overs)
07.36 IST: Long appeal this time and a confident one but the umpire stays put. Inswinging length ball on off, comes back in. Guptill offers no shot and gets rapped on the pads. India don't opt for a review. Look's like height was the only issue there.
07.36 IST: Similar length on middle and off. Martin strides forward to block it but gets an inside edge onto his pads. Shami appeals but it dies down.
07.35 IST: Mohammed Shami will share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar for India.
07.32 IST: FOUR! Wonderful timing. Bhuvi drifts on the pads and the length is a bit too full. Guptill flicks it uppishly but wide of the fielder at short mid-wicket. In fact, it is through square leg and the ball races away. Fine leg has no chance. First runs of the match.
07.31 IST: Martin Guptill and Colin Munro are the openers for India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to start off with the first new ball. Guppy to face. Here we go!
07.29 IST: The anthems are done and we are ready for the game to begin. Let us have a stat to start. This is 1600th international game - third most after Australia (1854) and England (1833).
07.11 IST: We know India are a very good chasing side but we wanted to get runs on the board and I'm sure the surface will be good througout. One spinner - Mitch Santner comes back from injury, really exciting for him. Also Doug Bracewell playing as well. Nice to have a seam bowling allroiunder in Bracewell, helps with our balance. We want to touch on all areas and keep improving. Fielding was something we didn't think was on par in our last series, so it's about improving all the time. We're all looking forward to the series, will be played in the right spirit: Kane Williamson
07.10 IST: The bowlers have played a major part in us being a top team than the batsmen really. It's a batsmen's game and the crowd come in to see fours and sixes. I feel that our side is very balanced at the moment with good depth in batting and bowling. Pretty relaxes with where we stand as a team. It's going to be a competitive series. New Zealand are a good side and they play with the right spirit. They are a side that everyone must look upto in terms of carrying yourself on the field. Mutual respect is always there between us. Our motivation to win games remain the same irrespective of opposition. We're not going to have any incidents: Virat Kohli
07.07 IST: Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja have been dropped from the last ODI with Ambati Rayudu and Kuldeep Yadav coming back into the XI.
07.06 IST: New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
07.05 IST: India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami
07.04 IST: Kane Williamson has won the toss and New Zealand will bat first.
07.01 IST:The captains are coming out for the toss.
06.38 IST: The Indian team is out there in the middle.
06.25 IST: Here is the pitch for today's game at McLean Park.
06.20 IST: The crowd is building up slowly.
06:!5 IST: It's bright and sunny in Napier ahead of the first ODI.
Brief Report: On a high after a defining tour of Australia, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team faces a trickier challenge when it locks horns with an ever-so-sprightly New Zealand in a five-match ODI series starting Wednesday. The Indian team, which has shifted its focus entirely on World Cup preparations, is still searching for the right middle-order combination despite their first-ever bilateral ODI series win on Australian soil. (READ FULL REPORT HERE)
