3 Explosive Player Battles That Could Decide IND vs. NZ 2026 ODI Series

Three standout duels headline IND vs. NZ 2026 ODI series—Shreyas Iyer vs Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell vs Kuldeep Yadav, and Virat Kohli vs Adithya Ashok. Here’s why these matchups could shape the three-match contest.

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Shreyas Iyer vs Kyle Jamieson

India welcome back ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, returning from a rib injury after missing months of action. He showed touch in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 with 82 (53) and 45 (34) against Himachal and Punjab. Jamieson’s 6'8" frame and short‑of‑length tactics target Iyer’s historical discomfort with the short ball, making this a pivotal test in his comeback.

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Daryl Mitchell vs Kuldeep Yadav

With Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, and Mitchell Santner absent, Daryl Mitchell’s role grows. He averages 48.62 against India in ODIs, tallying 389 runs in eight innings. Kuldeep Yadav, India’s leading wicket‑taker in the recent South Africa series with nine wickets in three games, is Gill’s key spin card. Mitchell has fallen once to Kuldeep and managed just three runs off 12 balls—an intriguing middle‑overs chess match.

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Virat Kohli vs Adithya Ashok

Virat Kohli enters in red‑hot form—Player of the Series versus South Africa with 302 runs in three innings, including two centuries and an unbeaten fifty. Against New Zealand, he has 1,657 ODI runs at 55.23, trailing only Ricky Ponting (1,971) and Sachin Tendulkar (1,750) versus the Blackcaps. The duel with 23‑year‑old leg‑spinner Adithya Ashok, who has two ODIs and one wicket, is compelling—Kohli has been dismissed by leg‑spin 24 times in 92 ODI innings.