India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the ODI series opener at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Wednesday.
After winning the toss, Rohit said fast-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur along with left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan come into the playing eleven. The trio come in place of an injured Shreyas Iyer as well as KL Rahul and Axar Patel not available due to personal reasons.
"Looks a good pitch, little dry. We want to make sure we want to bowl under lights and defend score. We did well against Sri Lanka, but this is a different challenge. Important for us to keep the momentum going. Everyone is pushing each other in the squad. The spirit in the team is really good," he added.
