Having beaten Sri Lanka 5-0 and Australia 4-1 in back-to-back ODI series, Team India will look to continue their dominant run in the 50-overs when they come up against New Zealand in the first of 3 ODIs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.
Here are the five players to watch out for
Shikhar Dhawan aka Gabbar: The southpaw hailing from Delhi is making a comeback in the ODI setup after missing out the ODI series against Aussies due to some personal reasons. Dhawan will be itchy to open the innings along with Rohit Sharma. These two batsmen have off-lately been the most successful opening pair for team India.
Dinesh Karthik: Consistency showcased in the domestic circuit has fetched Dinesh Karthik a call-up into the ODI squad. Karthik lost his spot for the Sri Lanka tour where KL Rahul was preferred in the middle-order. The wicket-keeper batsman has a good chance of cementing his place in the middle-order as the much debateable No 4 spot is still waiting for its right match.
Kuldeep Yadav, the mystery man: After giving the Aussies a run for their money, Kuldeep Yadav will look to continue the same dominance against The Black Caps. In his previous ODI series against Australia, he bagged 7 wickets from 4 matches, that included a hat-trick. The Chinaman has been a go to man for Virat Kohli as his wicket-taking ability has made him a perfect choice for limited overs cricket.
Colin Munro: Tom Latham has been given a new role as he will be playing in the middle order. So Colin Munro is likely to open along with Martin Guptill. We all know what kind of damage Munro can produce on his day. The beauty of Munro is that he is a hard hitter of the ball. So this Munro-Guptill combination can set the tone for the visitors.
Power packed duo: Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme looked at the best against the Indian Board Presidents XI as the speedster displayed his skill and class by picking up a fifer (5/38). While the all-rounder, Colin de Grandhomme chipped in with a handy 33 runs. Though the Kiwis ended up losing the match but these two players shone for them.
