IND vs NZ 2026: Why is Arshdeep Singh not playing in India vs New Zealand 1st ODI?

Jan 11, 2026 - 08:30

The first-ever One-Day International of 2026 took off at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, as India (IND) are hosting New Zealand (NZ) for the first match of the three-match series on Sunday, January 11. The Shubman Gill-led side entered the contest without the services of left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, whereas Kristian Clarke is playing his maiden game for the BlackCaps.

Toss Update

India won the toss and skipper Shubman Gill reiterated his decision of bowling first. The Men in Blue asked the visitors to come out to bat first on a flat surface, which is hosting its first-ever Men's One-Day International. The pitch at the BCA Stadium looks pretty decent to bat on, and with dew likely to kick in during the second innings, Gill said that it would be easier to chase on a wicket like this.

Why did Arshdeep Singh miss out on playing in the 1st ODI?

The Indian captain announced the Playing XI after winning the toss. While Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the series, the hosts went ahead with a six-man bowling line-up, but without a place for Arshdeep. The team management opted to pick the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna for the sake of better combination for pacers, as a result of which, the left-arm seamer had to warm the bench.

What did the captains say?

Shubman Gill, India captain

"We will bowl first. Honestly, try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India. Whenever you're bowling second, there's a bit of a challenge with the dew, and so try out what kind of combination suits our condition the best. It looks like a good wicket. Hopefully, I think it'll be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the new coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first. I think playing a bit of Vijay Hazare series, everyone is coming after playing some matches, so everyone looks in good form. We've played a lot of cricket together, so you know, the environment is always nice and calm whenever we get together. We are going with six bowlers, with Washi, Jadeja and Kuldeep as the spinners, and Prasidh, Siraj, and Harshit the three pacers."

Michael Bracewell, New Zealand captain

It looks like a good surface, would have bowled first but I'm happy to be batting. We've been here for a little bit of time now. It's a big series for us. First of all, every time we play for New Zealand, that's a proud moment. And also here, you get used to the conditions here in India before the World Cup. It's a huge advantage to us. We're very much excited about this series. We're looking forward to it. It's always great to play here in India with the crowd and the fans. And it's a new experience for all the guys, but there's also a few experienced guys in the group. So we're certainly banking on that experience. Looks like a decent wicket. Maybe a little bit lower than some of the pitches in New Zealand. But we just have to be quick to adapt to the conditions. We've got Kristian Clark making his debut today and Adithya Ashok is our main spinner.

Playing XIs

India

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

New Zealand

Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok