The Indian cricket team is set to lock horns with New Zealand in a three-match ODI series beginning January 11, 2026. A major talking point ahead of the series is the continued participation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the 50-over format. While the focus is on the ODIs, the “Black Caps” and the “Men in Blue” are also scheduled to compete in a five-match T20I series later in the month.
Why so much Buzz around Rohit Sharma and key stats
Rohit Sharma, known as an aggressive opening batsman, has maintained a decent form against the Black Caps scoring 997 runs in 30 appearances. He remains a formidable opponent, as his average of 36.92 against them is lower than his overall career average.
Rohit delivered a career-best performance against New Zealand by scoring 147 runs in 2017, Kanpur. Additionally, entering the 2026 series marks a crucial event for Sharma as he requires only 3 runs to hit the 1,000-run target against New Zealand, joining an elite club of Indian batters.
India VS New Zealand ODI series
The ODI matches between the two teams are scheduled as follows:
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) | Time (GMT) |
| Sun, Jan 11 | 1st ODI | BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara | 1:30 PM | 8:00 AM |
| Wed, Jan 14 | 2nd ODI | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 1:30 PM | 8:00 AM |
| Sun, Jan 18 | 3rd ODI | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 1:30 PM | 8:00 AM |
Recent Performance of Rohit and Virat
The Vijay Hazare trophy is a 50-over format tournament, which is to be played from December 24 to January 18. In a stellar performance on December 24, Rohit Sharma scored 155 off 94 balls as Mumbai secured an eight-wicket victory over Sikkim. Mumbai chased the target set by Sikkim and scored 237 with the loss of two wickets in 30.3 overs. In the Delhi vs Andhra Pradesh clash on December 24, Virat Kohli hit 131 runs off 101 balls, guiding Delhi to past Andhra Pradesh’s 298 in just 37.4 overs.
Vijay Hazare Trophy Mumbai Squad
Mumbai Squad: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rohit Sharma, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Tamore(w), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur(c), Tushar Deshpande, Sylvester DSouza, Ishan Mulchandani, Onkar Tukaram Tarmale, Chinmay Rajesh Sutar, Akash Anand, Suryansh Shedge, Sairaj Patil
Both the star players look forward to the ODI World Cup 2027
The performance of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in this ODI series matters as it will be a crucial factor for their entry in the 2027 ODI World Cup. In recent conversations, India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill confirmed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli possess unmatched experience and are firmly in the 2027 World Cup mix. The star players also got backed by Sunil Gavaskar to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup, subject to their availability.