Indian team, barring four players, reach Baroda for New Zealand ODI

The Indian ODI team members, barring Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja, have reached Baroda ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand. The four named above who were part of their respective state teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). All players were to report in Baroda on Wednesday (January 7) but the four mentioned above had to delay their arrival because of the VHT commitments.

The Indian team was scheduled to have the first practice session in preparation for the three-match ODI series, and all players, barring Iyer, Pant, Siraj, and Jadeja, were slated to take part in the nets at Kotambi Stadium in Baroda. These four players will be joining the squad on Friday (January 9). The first of the three-match ODI series will be played on January 11.

While Iyer led Mumbai, Pant captained the Delhi team, Siraj represented Hyderabad, and Jadeja was part of the Saurashtra team. The league stage of the VHT has concluded, and Pant's Delhi and Jadeja's Saurashtra have made the knockouts of the 50-over domestic competition from Group D, while Iyer's Mumbai have also progressed, having finished second in Group C behind Punjab.

Siddesh Lad to lead Mumbai

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has named Siddesh Lad as the skipper for the Mumbai team for the VHT knockouts. Lad is a veteran Mumbai player, having represented the domestic side in over 150 matches across formats. He will be the third skipper for Mumbai in this tournament for the season, with Shardul Thakur and Iyer being the other two, who have had to miss out on the VHT games for different reasons. Mumbai face Karnataka in the first quarterfinal on January 12.

The Delhi team will be led by Ayush Badoni in the absence of Pant. Badoni is the vice-captain of Delhi, and he has led the side whenever Pant was not available. Delhi will play Vidarbha on January 13. Jadeja's Saurashtra will take on Uttar Pradesh on January 12. Siraj's Hyderabad have failed to advance in the tournament. All the knockouts of the VHT will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.