Gill: India’s top four settled for NZ ODIs, middle order flexible

India captain Shubman Gill said in Auckland on the eve of the first ODI against New Zealand that the top four are pretty much settled, all of them right-handed batters. The five-match series begins at Eden Park on Wednesday, 4 November, at 7:30 AM IST.

The middle order is a different matter. India are not looking to fix roles for numbers five, six and seven, Gill said, and the order will change with the match situation.

Rahul and Axar in the middle order

Outlook India reports that Gill named himself, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer as the top four, with Axar Patel and KL Rahul rotating at No. 5 and 6.

Gill said Rahul’s position depends on the situation and the overs remaining. If India want a left-hander at number five, he added, they can send in Axar.

Hardik Pandya’s return

Gill said Hardik Pandya’s return would strengthen the lower-middle order and add depth to the batting. Outlook India also says Gill gave a positive update on Pandya’s neck injury.

Captaincy and the series

Gill leads India in the first three ODIs, after which Shreyas Iyer takes over as captain for the fourth and fifth. India arrive after a 3-2 T20I series win over New Zealand, though the hosts took the last two matches of that series, the final one by 7 wickets on 1 November.

Five ODIs remain in the New Zealand vs India ODI Series 2026, which runs from 4 to 15 November. The second is on Saturday, 7 November in Wellington and the third on Tuesday, 10 November in Hamilton, both at 7:30 AM IST. The last two are in Mount Maunganui on 13 and 15 November.