Is Mohammed Siraj playing 5th ODI between India and New Zealand?

With an excellent chance to clinch the white-ball leg, India took on the challenge against New Zealand in the fifth ODI of the series on Sunday, November 15, at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Ahead of the series finale, the Men in Blue handed a debut to right-arm pacer Yash Thakur, but one question that was stuck in fans' minds is whether Mohammed Siraj, the senior-most bowler in the Indian side, has been given a place to showcase his worth.

NZ vs IND: Toss Update

The toss went in favour of New Zealand as Mitchell Santner called it correctly for the first time in the series and had no hesitation in bowling first. While the hosts were confident to draw levels to the series with a win, the Indian captain Shreyas Iyer said that it was important for them to do some recovery from the demons of the horrendous showing in the fourth match.

NZ vs IND: Mohammed Siraj in?

While the Indians would be happy that Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson have been rested from the game to prepare for the Test series, they themselves made a couple of changes, with Gurnoor Brar and Kuldeep Yadav being rested. Yash Thakur was handed an ODI debut, while Mohammed Siraj actually came in for the first time in the series to get into the rhythm ahead of the red-ball encounters starting November 19.

NZ vs IND: Playing XI

India

Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur

New Zealand

Will Young, Tim Seifert (WK), Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Kristian Clarke, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher

NZ vs IND: What did the captains say?

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain, said:

"I am not sure of that, didn't expect to win. We're going to bowl. The pitch still looks all right, and there are supposed to be a few showers later on, possibly with a bit of dew as well, so we'll see how it goes. [On the previous day's break] It was pretty relaxed. With the late finishes and everything, it was a good day to recover and get ready for another big game today. 

"[On the changes to the bowling attack] Obviously, Matt Henry and Kyle have gone to join the guys for Test preparation. It was nice to get six overs out of KJ. We've got Duffy and Tickner coming back in, who are also great bowlers. So, it's a similar combination with four seamers again. [On New Zealand's bowling depth] With the schedule and everything going on, you have to rotate the players around a little bit. It gives guys opportunities, which is cool. It's a World Cup year as well, so we're building the depth of our bowling stocks, and the guys have come in and performed straight away, which is always nice."

Shreyas Iyer, India captain, said:

"We were also waiting for this opportunity for the first time, but we saw how the ball was staying pretty straight when they were batting and wasn't seaming that much. So, that's a good sign and gives us confidence about batting first as well. [On the previous day's break] It was crucial for us to recover as much as possible, especially after fielding for 50 overs and getting out a bit early, which was quite disappointing. But that also reflected a bit on how we would be going today, so we're in high spirits.

"[On Yash Thakur's debut] He's a jovial guy who has been waiting for the opportunity to play for the country and has been in the scheme of things for a while. I'm glad he's getting the opportunity to prove himself today. It's his debut, so good luck to him. [On Siraj's return] Obviously, Siraj has also been craving an opportunity to play in all formats. He's been around the team for a while and is pretty experienced. He's played over the years, so he knows how to go about things. We're super excited for him as well."