India vs New Zealand: Shreyas Iyer, Will Young and other players to watch out for in ODI series

India and New Zealand kick off their ODI series in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. This will be first international contest of both the sides in 2026 and the two teams would want to start with a win. After Vadodara, the series will move to Rajkot for the second game before the final encounter takes place in Indore on January 18.

Both the sides come into the series on the back of wins in their previous ODI series. India defeated South Africa 2-1 at home while the Kiwis registered a dominating 3-0 win over West Indies, also in thier backyard.

While New Zealand have not named a full-strength squad with a lot of youngsters getting chance, India are almost at their best. Let us take a look at five players you should be keenly watching in the IND vs NZ ODI series.

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Shreyas Iyer

Iyer returns in India colours for the first time since October 2025 when he suffered an injury in Australia. The Indian ODI vice captain has been in scintillating form for the past few years and will be looking to further bolster his credentials in the 50-over format. He returned to competitive action through the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he slammed a sparkling half-century on his return.

Shubman Gill

India ODI skipper Gill will return to the format after missing the South Africa series due to injury and he will have a point to prove. Unceremoniously dropped from the T20I squad just before the T20 World Cup, Gill would want to send a message to the selectors as to how dangerous he can be in white-ball cricket. He has a double century in ODIs which came against New Zealand and the Kiwi bowlers will once again be on his target.

Virat Kohli

Fresh off a Player of the Series performance against South Africa, Kohli will once again be ready to further add to his century count in the 50-over format. Fans went crazy outside the Vadodara airport to get a glimpse of Kohli who will readying himself to feast on a second-string Kiwi bowling attack for the ODI series. Coming with a ton and a half-century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, expect Kohli to go big again.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit too hit a couple of half-centuries in the South Africa series and slammed a 62-ball ton in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai. Rohit has taken aggressive route more often as his career has progressed and he would be licking his lips to take on a New Zealand bowling attack without much experience. Fans would want him to show his six-hitting prowess across the three games.

Will Young

Young will return to India for the first time since his Player of the Series heroics in the 2024 Test series where New Zealand whitewashed the hosts 3-0. The right-hander has shown he is a quality batter against good bowling and will try to get the better of Indian bowlers once again. He scored a century in the 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan but could not score big against India in the two outings, including the final. He would want to make amends in this series, especially with consistent scorers like Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra missing.