5 India players to watch out for in the ODI series against New Zealand

India will take on New Zealand in 5-match ODI series starting on 16 October. After having won the Test series convincingly, India will aim for total domination. New Zealand on the other hand, will be keen on registering their first win on the tour. The gears have shifted from Tests to the ODIs. New players have joined in while a few have been left out. In order to gain the momentum, the hosts will be keen on setting the records straight at Dharamsala in the first ODI. Whoever draws first blood will have the upper hand in the series. It is necessary to note that the team combinations would be totally different for the hosts. With the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being rested, the onus will be on the younger lot to deliver. A few key members of the time like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to deliver the goods. However, it is the rookies who will be the players to watch out for. Here are the top 5 players who will have a lot of eyes glue stuck to them: 1. Manish Pandey: Manish Pandey. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Young Manish Pandey has been a revelation for Indian cricket. Earlier this year, he guided India to a win with his maiden ton against Australia. The innings of unbeaten 104 is etched in the memories of Indian fans who had a tough time watching India lose 4-1 down under. With Suresh Raina not fit for the first ODI, Pandey will have to shoulder the responsibility in the middle order. He emerged as the leading run-getter in the recently concluded quadrangular A-team series where he amassed 359 runs in 7 matches at an average of 59.83 and a strike rate of 94.47. With 2 centuries to his name, he stamped his authority on the tournament for sure. Also read- Virat Kohli arrives at Dharamsala after happy day at home 2. Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI) Hardik Pandya might fit into the role of the all-rounder in the playing eleven. If Pandya gets a look in, he will be making his ODI debut for India. He has impressed in T20Is and also shown his prowess in the IPL. He wasn’t picked up for the Zimbabwean tour and that might have made him work harder for the ODI spot. Having been drafted into the squad now, Pandya looks in good shape to be the all-rounder of the team. Having him in the team will give MS Dhoni the option of an extra pace bowler who could fill in overs if any of the frontline bowlers have a bad day. In the 16 T20Is that he has played, he has a strike rate of 139.28. With the ball, his strike rate has been impressive too – 17.8. 3. Dhawal Kulkarni: Dhawal Kulkarni. (Photo Source: BCCI) Dhawal Kulkarni has been an outright performer in the domestic circuit. However, his national appearances have been sporadic. He made his debut against England back in 2014. He picked up eight wickets at 18.62 in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka in the same year. Since then, he hasn’t got his share of chances. Kulkarni has been rewarded with the national call yet again. His last appearance was against Zimbabwe a couple of months ago. He picked up 5 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 18 and economy rate of just 3.55. Kulkarni, who has 18 wickets to his name in ODIs, will hope to cement his place in the line up. Also read- There is no replacement for MS Dhoni in limited overs, says former selector 4. Jayant Yadav: Jayant Yadav. (Photo Sourcel BCCI) Jayant Yadav is the unheralded spinner from Haryana. He has been quietly been among the wickets in the domestic circuit. He has got national calls but is yet to make his debut for India in any format. With Ravichandran Ashwin being rested, Yadav remains to be the only frontline off spinner in the side. In the 2014-15 season of the Ranji Trophy, he emerged as the leading wicket-taker for Haryana with 33 wickets to his name. In addition to his bowling, Jayant is also handy with the bat. He has a double century to his name in Ranji Trophy and that speaks for his batting prowess. 5. Mandeep Singh: India batsman Mandeep Singh. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Mandeep Singh first made the headlines when he played in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2010. Since then, he has made giant strides in domestic cricket for Punjab. He has been a run-getter for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL too. However, an ODI call-up eluded him. Now that he is in the squad, he has a very good chance of making his ODI debut. Mandeep has scored 10 centuries in first-class cricket and has a double ton to his name too. He is an excellent fielder, an asset that Dhoni loves to have in his eleven. He made his T20I debut for India in Zimbabwe recently where he scored a brilliant unbeaten half century on the tour to announce his candidature at the top level. Also read- The evolution of Ravichandran Ashwin as an off spinner

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5 India players to watch out for in the ODI series against New Zealand

3. Dhawal Kulkarni:

Also read- There is no replacement for MS Dhoni in limited overs, says former selector

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