New Zealand tour of India 2026 | 2nd ODI | Preview and Predictions

India kicked off the year with a nervy win in Vadodara over New Zealand, after almost giving the game away from an untouchable position. They are, however, now one win away from their first series win of the new year.

For the second ODI between India and New Zealand, here we present our preview and predictions.

New Zealand tour of India 2026 | 2nd ODI | 13:30 IST, January 14, 2026

Last time out, the hosts started strong with the bat. Rohit Sharma continued his aggressive approach at the start of the innings, and while he couldn’t convert his promising start into a big score, captain Shubman Gill, returning to the longer format after his injury, got going after a scrappy start. His partnership of 118 with Virat Kohli was crucial in India’s chase.

India’s chase master, meanwhile, continued his new high-intent approach. Virat Kohli’s 93 was the backbone of India’s chase, and his form will remain key, especially with the likes of Gill and Shreyas Iyer around him coming back from injuries.

Iyer was at his fluent best, looking comfortable as he took on the Kiwi bowlers on his return to the squad. What followed later, however, was a slight collapse and a big scare for the hosts. Gill, Kohli, and Iyer will all know that they should have seen out the chase. KL Rahul eventually saw the hosts home, though, with some big hits from Harshit Rana, who continues to impress with the bat.

With the ball, on a slow and flat pitch, the Indian seamers put up a commendable showing, with Mohammed Siraj, who was returning to the white-ball setup, impressing the most. Rana continued to provide breakthroughs, Prasidh Krishna was good in patches, though spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja didn’t get many wickets and were a bit expensive. Moving to Rajkot, the two will feel more confident on a strip likely to assist spinners.

Overall, Gill managed his bowlers well, especially given Washington Sundar’s injury, and the win must have brought a big boost in confidence for the young captain. Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series due to his side strain, and young Ayushi Badoni has been roped in as his replacement, thus getting his first call-up to the national setup.

New Zealand, on the other hand, started strong with the bat but failed to capitalise on the strong start provided by Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls, which meant that their 300/8 was a par score at best. Conway and Nicholls, two of the more experienced batters in the visitors’ line-up, used all their experience to put up a brilliant 117-run opening partnership, but they’ll know that they could have and should have batted deeper.

The likes of Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, and Michael Bracewell failed to get going, and if not for a fighting 84 from Daryl Mitchell, the visitors might have finished well under 300. Kristian Clarke, on his ODI debut, proved that he is handy with the bat, helping the visiting camp boast a deep batting line-up.

With the ball, barring Kyle Jamieson fighting a lone battle, the Kiwis proved ordinary, to say the least. With dew being a factor, they leaked runs in the middle overs. Jamieson’s triple strike late in the innings provided them a glimmer of hope, but it was always India’s game to lose.

The Rajkot pitch is going to be another one that should bring about runs, but it will also offer more assistance to spinners. India, despite Washington Sundar’s exit, have a strong spin attack thanks to experienced operators Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.

Given their squad depth and experience, the Men in Blue are once again our favourites to win in Rajkot and seal the series.

Fantasy XI: Rohit Sharma, Devon Conway, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli (vc), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, KL Rahul (wk), Michael Bracewell, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kyle Jamieson

Venue: Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot
Winners Prediction: India