3 Indian players for whom the New Zealand ODIs could prove to be defining

Team India will begin their preparations for next year's ODI World Cup on home soil with a 50-over series in New Zealand. The first of the three ODIs will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, November 25.

Shikhar Dhawan will lead an Indian outfit that is missing several A-listers, including captain Rohit Sharma, deputy KL Rahul and former skipper Virat Kohli. The likes of Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya have also been rested from this rubber.

The majority of the team's focus in 2022 has gone towards the T20 format. With the World Cup in the shortest format out of the way, expect the attention to shift primarily towards the 50-over format, with India looking to pull off an encore of 2011 and clinch the title at home next year.

In that regard, the upcoming series against New Zealand could prove to be defining for a few of India's players. We will take a look at three such names and dissect the possibilities for the same:

---

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Captain of the Indian team once again, all eyes will be on the veteran opener as he seeks to put a lackluster year thus far behind him. For the record, Dhawan has accumulated 567 runs at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 74.60 in 16 ODIs this year.

While the average isn't shabby, his strike rate and rustiness shown throughout the games he has played this year is a major cause for concern. With Shubman Gill banging hard on the door, time may not be a luxury for Dhawan.

Gill hasn't been named for the ODI series in Bangladesh next month while Dhawan has been included and is set to partner Rohit up top. That said, with the ODI World Cup lined up next year, a good showing in New Zealand will boost his chances even further. A disappointing series though and the call to include Gill in the first XI will only grow louder.

---

#2 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is another player whose career is at a crossroads at the moment. The leg-spinner made the T20 World Cup squad after an innocuous exclusion last year but didn't get a game in the marquee event owing to his dwindling returns this year.

His ODI returns have been far better this year - 21 wickets in 11 matches at a strike rate of 26.7. Yet, his partner-in-crime Kuldeep Yadav has looked a better version of himself since his resurgence, bagging 11 wickets in seven ODIs at a sub-five economy rate.

Come the ODI World Cup next year, there could be a spot for only one of them in India's starting XI. Neither has been named in the contingent to tour Bangladesh either and Chahal has a point to prove against New Zealand as to why he remains India's best bet as the lead spinner for next year's showpiece event.

The short boundaries in New Zealand will pose him a stiff challenge but coming up trumps against it could be the spring to the step that sets him on his way again.

---

#3 Shreyas Iyer

This might come as a surprise, but the ODIs in New Zealand could be defining for Shreyas Iyer as well. While his record in the format is unquestionable, the fact that he finds himself in a three-way shootout for two spots in the middle order means that he can't afford a quiet series.

Iyer has fond memories of New Zealand, having compiled 217 runs in the three-match rubber in 2020 and notching up his maiden international hundred along the way. His prowess against spin in particular casts him as a bankable option for the middle order as far as the ODI World Cup is concerned.

Yet, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both doing well in the middle order themselves, there doesn't seem to be a spot available for all three of them. Another strong showing by Iyer, who averages 60.75 in the format this year, will boost his chances of making the first XI considerably.

---

What is the biggest box that India needs to tick in the 3-match ODI series in New Zealand? Let us know in the comments section below!

---