Who won the toss in the India vs New Zealand 1st ODI, and what did they choose?

Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl, ESPNcricinfo reported on 4 November 2026. The toss was delayed 20 minutes and the start 10 minutes. No overs were lost. The listed first ball on the series schedule is 7:30 AM IST at Eden Park, Auckland.

What is New Zealand's playing XI, and why are Tim Seifert and Henry Nicholls in?

ESPNcricinfo lists Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Blair Tickner and Jacob Duffy. Seifert comes in after Devon Conway's concussion on the eve of the match. Nicholls comes in as an extra specialist batter, with Michael Bracewell left out. Matt Henry, who collided with Conway in fielding drills, is also out of the XI.

Are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing?

Yes, in this match. ESPNcricinfo's XI includes both, with Shreyas Iyer and captain Shubman Gill. A place in the earlier squad lists was not the same as a place in this XI. For this game, the XI is published.

Why did India bowl first?

ESPNcricinfo said a bit of drizzle was the main reason, and noted that the last two ODIs at Eden Park saw teams batting under lights dismissed cheaply. The Times of India quoted Gill at the toss saying it was a bit overcast and that, if overs were reduced, it was better to have a target on the board.

Where can I watch, and is there a result yet?

In India the series is on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV, as set out in our schedule guide. This piece stops at the toss, the XIs, and the early wicket of Will Young. New Zealand were still batting. It does not name a winner.

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI at Eden Park: Gill Bowls First, Rohit and Kohli Return, Playing XIs, Explained

Q: What is India's playing XI for the 1st ODI at Eden Park?

ESPNcricinfo's XI is Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh. Mohammed Siraj is not in it. Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy are not in that XI either.

India's first ODI of this New Zealand tour is underway at Eden Park, Auckland, and the playing XIs are out. Shubman Gill won a delayed toss and chose to bowl. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are in the XI with him. Mohammed Siraj is out. Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi are in.

This piece covers the toss, the two XIs, and the first wicket, from the passage of play in which New Zealand were still batting. Arshdeep Singh had already removed Will Young. The innings was not over. The series list, the squads and the 7:30 AM IST starts are in the ODI series guide. How that clock lines up with a New Zealand afternoon is in the match timings guide.

The 60-second version

Toss: Gill won it and chose to bowl. ESPNcricinfo (Cricinfo staff, story stamped 4 November 2026, 2:13 AM) said drizzle was the main reason. The toss was delayed 20 minutes. The start was delayed 10 minutes. No overs were lost.
India's XI: Rohit Sharma, Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh.
Not in that India XI: Mohammed Siraj. Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy are absent from the XI ESPNcricinfo printed. The spin pair in the XI is Naman Dhir and Axar Patel.
New Zealand's XI: Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand's changes: Devon Conway (concussion on the eve of the match) is out, and Tim Seifert makes an ODI comeback. Matt Henry, who collided with Conway in fielding drills, is out. Michael Bracewell is out. Henry Nicholls comes in as an extra specialist batter.
Early play: The Times of India's liveblog recorded Arshdeep dismissing Young, with New Zealand 22 for 1. The page title then read 26 for 1 in 5.2 overs. New Zealand were still batting.
Where to watch in India: Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV. Listed first ball: 7:30 AM IST, Wednesday, 4 November 2026.

Why Gill bowled first

ESPNcricinfo published "India opt to bowl, pick Nabi and Kamboj" with a stamp of Nov 4, 2026, 2:13 AM. The report says Gill chose to bowl in the first of five ODIs at Eden Park. The weather, with a bit of drizzle around, was the main reason, it said, even though in the last two ODIs at Eden Park, teams batting under lights were dismissed cheaply. The toss was delayed by 20 minutes and the start by 10 minutes, and no overs were lost.

The Times of India quoted Gill at the toss: "We are going to bowl first. (It is a) bit overcast, so any reductions, it's good to have a target on the board." In the same liveblog he said conditions here would be a lot like the ones India expect in South Africa, and that the pacers were Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh. TOI spelled Nabi "Aaqib" inside that quote. ESPNcricinfo and the XI use Auqib Nabi. The same toss note has India going in with four fast bowlers and two all-rounders, Naman Dhir and Axar Patel.

The start printed in our series guide, from the BCCI list, is 7:30 AM IST. ESPNcricinfo's 10-minute delay is why the first ball was later than that listing. In India the broadcast home for the series remains Sony Sports Network, with streaming on SonyLIV.

India's XI: Rohit, Kohli and Iyer are in

ESPNcricinfo's order:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh.

Apart from Gill, Rohit, Kohli and Iyer are back in the ODI side, the report said. Siraj stayed out. Kamboj and Nabi are in. ESPNcricinfo said both can hit down the order, which might have been a consideration. Spin is the two all-rounders, Dhir and Axar. Kuldeep Yadav is not among the eleven names. Nitish Kumar Reddy is not among them either. The BCCI's 30 October note had made Reddy available for this date only. He is not in the XI ESPNcricinfo published for the match.

The Times of India printed the same eleven India names. Its listed order was not the same as ESPNcricinfo's. This piece follows ESPNcricinfo's order for both sides.

New Zealand without Conway, Henry and Bracewell

ESPNcricinfo's order:

New Zealand: Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy.

Conway's concussion, suffered on the eve of the match, opened the door for Seifert's ODI comeback, ESPNcricinfo wrote. Matt Henry collided with Conway during fielding drills and stayed out of the XI. New Zealand left out Michael Bracewell, one of their spin all-rounders, and brought in Henry Nicholls as an extra specialist batter.

The Times of India quoted Mitchell Santner at the toss. Conway was doing well, Santner said, and was going to rest and not play today, so Seifert got a chance. Santner added that New Zealand, like India, had four pacers. That comment describes this XI. It does not, on its own, say how long Conway or Henry will be out.

The early overs, while New Zealand bat

The figures in this section are early readings from a live innings.

The Times of India's liveblog, in an entry around 8:02 IST on 4 November, said Arshdeep Singh dismissed Will Young. Young tried to pull, the ball held up, and he top-edged to square leg, where Shreyas Iyer took the catch. That entry had New Zealand at 22 for 1. Entries through about 8:06 IST still showed 22 for 1 after five overs. The liveblog's page title, when read for this piece, was "New Zealand 26/1 in 5.2 Overs", on a headline that Young had departed.

ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball, at 4.3 overs, listed the wicket as Will Young caught Iyer, bowled Arshdeep Singh, for 9, with New Zealand 22 for 1. That entry matches the passage The Times of India described. New Zealand were still batting after it. No winner is named in this piece.

What to watch next

The rest of New Zealand's innings. Young is out early. Seifert, in for Conway, and Nicholls, in as the extra batter, are the new names at the top. The total was still being made when this was filed.
India's four pacers, with Siraj out. Arshdeep has the new ball in the early overs. Nabi, Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar are the other quicks in the XI. ESPNcricinfo noted that Nabi and Kamboj can also bat down the order.
Spin with Dhir and Axar. Kuldeep Yadav is not in this XI. How much work the two all-rounders do is a question for the innings.
India's top order when they bat. Rohit, Gill, Kohli and Iyer are all in this ODI XI, in the order ESPNcricinfo printed. How they are used is still to come.
Conway and Henry after today. Both are out of this XI. Santner's toss line was that Conway would not play today. Nothing read for this piece ruled either player out of the rest of the series.
The rest of the series. The second ODI is in Wellington at 7:30 AM IST on Saturday, 7 November, on the BCCI list in the series guide. In India the games are on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV.

Gill bowled first at Eden Park after a delayed toss, with Rohit, Kohli and Iyer in the XI, Siraj out, and Conway and Henry out of New Zealand's side. New Zealand were batting, and Young was already out, when this was written. The result is the document still to come.

The toss, the drizzle note, the 20-minute toss delay, the 10-minute start delay, the playing XIs, Conway's concussion, Henry's collision in fielding drills, Bracewell's omission and Nicholls's inclusion are from ESPNcricinfo, Cricinfo staff, "India opt to bowl, pick Nabi and Kamboj", published stamp Nov 4, 2026, 2:13 AM. Gill's and Santner's toss comments, and the liveblog entries on Young's wicket (22 for 1 through about 8:06 IST, and a page title of 26/1 in 5.2 overs), are from The Times of India on 4 November 2026. Young's dismissal for 9, caught Iyer bowled Arshdeep, is from ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball at 4.3 overs and is an early score. The 7:30 AM IST listing is the BCCI time used in our series guide. Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV are from The Indian Express, 2 November 2026, via that guide. No match winner is stated.