Cricket / India win toss, opt to bowl in rain-hit 2nd ODI against New Zealand

Wellington, Nov 7: India won the toss and elected to field in the second One-Day International against New Zealand at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday. The match has been reduced to 47 overs per side following rain interruptions.

The visitors head into the contest with confidence after securing a five-wicket victory in the rain-affected opening ODI in Auckland, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. A win in Wellington would put India firmly in control with a 2-0 advantage.

Gill Backs Consistency

After winning the toss, India skipper Shubman Gill said the decision to bowl first was influenced by overcast conditions and the wicket having remained under covers for the past couple of days.

Gill revealed that India's practice session was called off due to rain but expressed satisfaction with the preparation gained during the opening ODI. Stressing the importance of maintaining consistency, he said the team would look to replicate its Auckland performance. India have retained the same playing XI.

New Zealand Seek Response

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted that bowling first might have been preferable but said his side would focus on navigating the challenging early phase and posting a competitive total.

The hosts suffered a major setback ahead of the match with leading batter Devon Conway ruled out of the remainder of the series. Left-handed batter Nick Kelly has been named as Conway's replacement. Santner, however, opted to field an unchanged side for the Wellington encounter.

With weather continuing to play a role in the series, both teams will be eager to make the most of the shortened contest. While India seek to extend their winning momentum, New Zealand will be desperate to bounce back and level the series.
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Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh