New Delhi, November 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India captain Shubman Gill believes the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand will provide valuable preparation for next year’s World Cup, with the conditions in the country expected to be similar to those the team could encounter during the tournament.
With the World Cup scheduled for October-November, Gill said playing in New Zealand in early November would give the Indian players an opportunity to experience conditions closer to those expected at the global event.
“The conditions that we’re going to get here are going to be a lot more similar to the ones that we’re going to get in the World Cup, especially playing here in early November,” Gill said in a video shared by the BCCI on X.
He pointed out that India’s previous tours of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa usually took place in December or January, making the timing of the current series particularly useful.
India lead the five-match ODI series 1-0 after winning the rain-affected opening match in Auckland on Wednesday. The visitors chased a revised target of 143 under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Rain could again disrupt Saturday’s second ODI in Wellington, with showers forecast for the day.
Gill also revealed that he had arrived early to get four or five additional training sessions, particularly to work on his game with the red ball. He said he wanted to understand how the ball behaved in New Zealand, having played limited Test cricket in the country.
The skipper expressed confidence in India’s pace attack, backing Anshul Kamboj, Aaqib Nabi Dar, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh to make an impact on pitches offering bounce and assistance to fast bowlers.
Gill also credited India’s 3-2 victory in the preceding T20I series for giving the team momentum. He praised Shreyas for his leadership and said the side’s ability to fight back from difficult positions in the opening two T20 matches had strengthened its confidence.
He added that India were prepared for a strong response from New Zealand as the hosts look to level the ODI series.
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