Cricket

New Zealand vs India 1st ODI Preview & Tips - New Zealand tipped for opening ODI win over India

By Ben Darvill

3 hours ago

Ben Darvill 3 hours ago

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New Zealand host India in five ODI matches
India have lost three of their five ODI's (W2)
Preview, stats & head to head

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips (Getty Images)

New Zealand vs India 1st ODI Preview & Tips
Head To Head
New Zealand Form
India Form

New Zealand vs India 1st ODI Preview & Tips

New Zealand return to the ODI game for the first since their thrilling 3-2 series win over the West Indies across July.

India also edged past the West Indies in their most recent 50 over series as they secured a 2-1 win over the touring side.

New Zealand have won three of their last four ODI's (L1)

Head To Head

Across their last 10 ODI meetings, New Zealand have won twice and India have won eight times.

New Zealand Form

New Zealand will have been buoyed by their recent return to form against India as they battled back from 3-0 down in their T20 series to ensure they were beaten with a far more respectable 3-2 scoreline.

Their final two T20's saw New Zealand really impress as they notched wins by 87 runs and seven wickets. While India may have been guilty of taking their foot off the accelerator with the series won, this was still an excellent run of performances from the home side.

In the ODI game, New Zealand have been in good form. Six wins in their last 10 has seen the Black Caps beat India twice, Bangladesh once and the West Indies three times. A 2-1 series loss to Bangladesh is a blot on their copybook while their 3-2 series win over the Windies was bookended by defeats.

Having players that can really knuckle down and score runs in the ODI game is crucial to building a score, and Daryl Mitchell is one of the best in the business when it comes to scoring runs consistently. Mitchell averages 57.37 in the ODI game, while his average in 2026 is 94.60. Scores of 84, 131 not out, 137, 65, 28 and 28 has seen the batter score runs with impressive regularity.

Against India, his average is just as impressive. Currently standing at 74.10 after 11 innings against India, Mitchell has been excellent. While New Zealand have a real fight on their hands to win the series, I back Mitchell to help get New Zealand off to a good start.

India Form

India arrive for their latest series against New Zealand looking to build on a thrilling 3-2 win over the Black Caps by winning their ODI and Test series too.

In the early stages of their T20 series, India shone with the bat as they continually chased the scores of their hosts down. However, they seemed to run out of steam as the series went on before succumbing to heavy 87-run and seven-wicket defeats.

Their last two ODI series have been a mixed bag for India. They roared to a six-wicket win over England in their opener before losing their next two matches. They beat the Windies 2-1 but lost their final match. Their loss to an England side that have been incredibly inconsistent in the ODI game is perhaps the largest worry as India stuttered.

While their 3-2 series win over New Zealand will see them arrive confident, I am backing against India in this one. The Black Caps grew into their T20 series and I tip them to back their last two wins up with a triumph in the first ODI.

Verdict

New Zealand v India 1st ODI

I am backing Daryl Mitchell to begin the series with runs as New Zealand go 1-0 up against the touring side.

New Zealand

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Batter Milestones

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