18 October,2026 09:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
India will bank on top-order batters Rohit Sharma (left), Shubman Gill (centre), and Virat Kohli to provide them with a solid start against NZ pacers. PICS/BCCI
Former India off-spinner R Ashwin reckons the upcoming five-match ODI series in New Zealand will be a litmus test for India ahead of next year's ODI World Cup. India will begin the NZ tour with five T20Is from October 22, followed by five ODIs from November 4. The ICC ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November next year.
"I think it's probably one of the closest that we might get to the ODI World Cup next year. It will be a real litmus test for the Indian team to go to New Zealand at this stage. New Zealand have a really good seam attack. It is probably the closest we will get because most of the other series that we are playing are in the subcontinent. I know South Africa can have much steeper bounce and pace than New Zealand, but this is probably the closest litmus test that we might get," Ashwin said during a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network on Friday.
Ashwin, who claimed 537 wickets and scored 3,503 runs, including six centuries, in 106 Tests, also backed KL Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill to play key roles in the two-Test series beginning in Wellington on November 19. The 40-year-old believes India have a great chance of winning a Test series in New Zealand if the duo perform well.
"I would really pick KL Rahul and Shubman, around whom this Test series will revolve. The Indian batting line-up will have to lean into their experience. Not counting on Yashasvi Jaiswal, but with the experience, form and pedigree KL and Shubman carry at the moment, I think I would put my money on them to have a good series. If they do, then India has a great chance," Ashwin said, adding that contributions from the lower-order batters would be even more crucial. Ashwin scored 2403 Test runs batting at No. 8 or lower.
Ashwin also felt that India's bowling hopes would depend heavily on pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. "In these [NZ] conditions, if we hail Bumrah, we should hail Siraj enough as well. He has always put his hand up when Bumrah has been missing and has delivered results. So, I think he is someone who will bowl with all his heart. Hopefully, his body is in a good space and he is physically fit enough to be able to throw in the same sort of effort. I see no reason why they both cannot make an impact," Ashwin added.
2022
The year India last played an ODI series in New Zealand
