[In pictures] IND vs NZ 2026: Gill, Kohli, Rahul train in Vadodara ahead of first ODI, Rohit Sharma misses out

Team India has reached Vadodara International Cricket Stadium ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand. But one prominent absentee from the session was Rohit Sharma. The opener was absent from the practice session while the rest of the team prepared for the series. 

The former captain was last seen during a ‘United by Triumph’ event hosted by the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai, where he along with Harmanpreet Kaur and the Indian Blind women's team captain Deepika TC, all World Cup-winning captains, were honoured.

In a tweet posted by the BCCI, the Indian players were seen practicing hard in the nets, including captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, and coach Gautam Gambhir. 

Apart from the 38-year-old, there were two more notable stars, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant, who were missing from the practice session. Both Pant and Jadeja took part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi and Saurashtra, respectively. 

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'I will call him captain only' - Jay Shah to Rohit Sharma 

Meanwhile, in a heartwarming video, Jay Shah, who was also present during the event in Mumbai, called Rohit captain despite his resignation from the post. Shah was on stage with Nita Ambani and was talking about India’s recent World Cup wins in men’s Cricket. 

"Our captain is sitting here. I will call him captain only, as he has led the team to two ICC trophies. During the 2023 World Cup, after winning ten successive matches, we could only win hearts but could not lift the trophy," Shah said while speaking at the United in Triumph event.

Meanwhile, the ODI series against New Zealand will be India’s first international assignment of 2026. They will take on New Zealand, with the first match starting on January 11 at BCA Stadium, Kotambi.