The second match of the ODI series between India and New Zealand will be held on January 14th at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Before this match, Team India players arrived at the stadium for practice, but nine prominent players did not participate.
Why Rohit and Virat was not with the team
Major players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma did not participate in the practice session in Rajkot. Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana also did not attend. Only Shubman Gill, Ayush Badoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav participated in Team India’s practice session. This was an optional practice session, so the other players preferred to rest rather than practice. It’s worth noting that the first ODI was played on Sunday, which Team India won by 4 wickets.
The Rajkot ODI presents Team India with an opportunity to take an unassailable lead in the series. This match is also crucial for Virat Kohli. If Virat Kohli scores a century in this match, it will be his first ODI century on this ground. Virat has never scored a century on this ground, although he has scored three half-centuries. Additionally, Kohli has the opportunity to score six consecutive fifty-plus scores.
Optional practice session for India. Six players present — Shubman, Badoni, Jadeja, Jurel, Arshdeep and Kuldeep. #INDvNZ@shamik100 pic.twitter.com/1cvnX5TNcm
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 13, 2026
If he scores a half-century or century in Rajkot, he will become the first Indian player to achieve this feat. However, the Rajkot ground is not a lucky ground for Team India. The Indian team has lost three out of four matches played on this ground. Now it remains to be seen how Virat and Team India perform in the Rajkot ODI.