India will start its 2026 foreign schedule with a three match ODI series with New Zealand. The first match of the series will be played on January 11 and the fans are already becoming very excited because they can watch the greatest stars of India back in action.
Team India has already begun its preparations in the first ODI which will be hosted in Baroda. Under the guidance of Shubman Gill, the group came at an early stage and it has been training since January 9 in order to acclimatize to conditions. Having the match on a Sunday, the stadium is expected to be full and the TV viewers are expected to watch the match in large numbers.
Fans who intend to make preparations to visit the stadium should schedule the match in the afternoon. The process will start at 1: 00 PM IST with the toss and the first ball will be dropped at 1: 30 PM IST. The game is a full 50-over match and therefore should take approximately six hours; hence might be played till late evening.
The matches in the series of the ODI will all share the same time schedule. The second ODI will be played on January 14 followed by the third and the last match on January 18. India and New Zealand are going to play a five-match T20I series starting January 21 after the ODIs and Suryakumar Yadav will be the captain of the first team to play in the shortest format.
ODI team contains a blend of both experience and young age with senior batters such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli likely to play major roles besides the emerging players.
At home, with the new-year beginning, and a vibrant squad, India will be looking to establish the tone at the early stage against a strong team of New Zealand.
