Arshdeep Strikes Twice as India Make Early Inroads in Auckland ODI Opener

India made a bright start to the ODI leg of their New Zealand tour on Wednesday, striking twice inside the powerplay after captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl first at Eden Park in Auckland.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh provided both breakthroughs, dismissing Will Young in the fifth over before removing Henry Nicholls cheaply in the ninth, the second wicket sparking an animated celebration from the bowler.

The start of play had been delayed by rain, but sunshine returned to Eden Park and New Zealand recovered to reach the drinks break in reasonable shape after the early losses, with Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell rebuilding. India, fresh from winning the T20I series 3-2, handed debuts to a pace-heavy attack featuring Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj alongside Arshdeep.

Gill’s bold call

Opting to bowl first on a damp Auckland morning, Gill backed his four-pronged pace attack — and was rewarded inside the first ten overs.

Series context

The five-match ODI series is the second act of a 43-day tour, and India will be keen to carry their T20 momentum into the longer white-ball format.

Source: News18 / Sportskeeda