NZ vs IND 2026: Rain delays toss for first ODI at Eden Park

Slight drizzle at Eden Park in Auckland has pushed back the toss for the opening ODI between New Zealand and India on November 4, 2026. Ground staff responded by rolling out a large white cover over the central pitch area, and spectators who had already taken their seats in the stands were left waiting as officials monitored conditions.

The BCCI shared the update from the ground, confirming the delay. As the scheduled toss time of 7:00 AM (Indian Standard Time) passed, the Eden Park pitch remained under covers, with drizzle not allowing for a timely start.

The match at Eden Park was scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. local time, which corresponds to 7:30 a.m. IST. The toss had been expected around 7:00 a.m. IST before the drizzle intervened. Whether the delay affected the scheduled start time was not confirmed at the point the toss update was issued.

This is the first of five ODIs in the series, with the remaining four matches spread across Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga through November 15. The five-match ODI leg forms part of the Men in Blue's all-format tour of New Zealand 2026-27, a tour that began on October 22 with a five-match T20I series. India won that T20I series 3-2 before the sides moved to the 50-over format.

Shubman Gill captains India for the first three ODIs of the series, with Mitchell Santner leading New Zealand for the same matches. A notable aspect of the Indian squad is the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have stepped away from T20 internationals and Test cricket and are now available only for the 50-over format and have set their sight on playing the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Squads

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (WK), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young

India: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad