Auckland, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India captain Shubman Gill and batting stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma received a special welcome into New Zealand rugby’s celebrated All Blacks family when former rugby great Keven Mealamu presented them with personalised jerseys ahead of the opening ODI at Eden Park.
During a special interaction at the Auckland venue, Mealamu handed each cricketer a black All Blacks jersey bearing his familiar playing number. Gill received number 77, Kohli was presented with 18, while Rohit got number 45.
Mealamu is among New Zealand rugby’s most distinguished players. He represented the All Blacks in 132 Tests and was part of the teams that won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015.
The Indian cricket team shared photographs of the meeting on social media, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) describing it as a special interaction between three Indian cricket stars and a New Zealand rugby legend.
The sporting crossover also coincides with the centenary of sporting ties between India and New Zealand. The relationship dates back to 1926, when an Indian Army hockey team featuring legendary player Dhyan Chand toured New Zealand.
The ongoing all-format cricket tour is part of the celebrations marking 100 years of sporting exchanges between the two countries. India won the five-match T20I series 3-2, while the five-match ODI series began at Eden Park on Wednesday.
New Zealand are wearing a limited-edition Kotahitanga jersey for the ODI series to mark the shared sporting and cultural heritage. Two Test matches, scheduled in Wellington and Christchurch, will follow the white-ball fixtures.
Eden Park is one of New Zealand’s most iconic sporting venues and is closely associated with the All Blacks’ 54-match unbeaten home run, which began in 1994.
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