07 September,2026 05:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Virat Kohli (Pic: File Pic)
Team India is set to take on New Zealand in the multi-format series. Both teams will clash against each other for five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Test matches.
Ahead of the series, Team India's star batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will likely return to action for the One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Speaking about the duo, New Zealand's captain Mitchell Santner labelled them as the "masters of the ODI game".
"It is going to be a challenge. They are still very good players as we have seen for a long time; masters of the ODI game. They have taken a liking to some New Zealand pitches in the past. Hopefully, not this time around," he said.
He also stated that the series will be a preparatory series for the ODI World Cup 2027.
"It is going to be a great series, no doubt. It is all a lead-up for the World Cup next year in ODIs. Everyone is trying to figure out their best team; what that might look like for October next year with limited games," said Santner.
The skipper then said that winning a series against Team India at home would be an "awesome" achievement.
"We've got five (matches) against India, three against Sri Lanka at home and then it is World Cup prep in England (in September 2027), right before the World Cup. (But) first things first, you want to win a series against India at home, which would be an awesome thing. Then it is (about) trying to find what the make-up might look like come October next year," said the 34-year-old cricketer.
The five-match T20I series between the teams will begin from October 22, with the first match scheduled to be played at Hagley Park South in the central city of Christchurch. The first match of the five-match ODI series will be played on November 4 at the Eden Park in Auckland. The two-match Test series between Team India and New Zealand will begin from November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
(With PTI Inputs)
