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India National Cricket Team will be up against the New Zealand National Cricket Team for a five-match ODI series starting on November 4th at Eden Park in Auckland. Ahead of the series, the two captains, Shubman Gill and Mitchell Santner, were present at a customary captain photoshoot, where they revealed the players they would want to steal from each team.
The Men in Blue would like to win the ODI series after sealing the T20I series. Shreyas Iyer’s side won the series after winning the first three games of the series in dominating fashion. India had named two squads for the ODI series, given the two-match Test series against the same team in a short period of time.
Shubman Gill picks the player he wants from the New Zealand team; Mitchell Santner picks Gill
During the photoshoot, the respective captains, Shubman Gill and Mitchell Santner, were first asked about the one player they would like to steal from the other person’s team. So Santner picked Shubman Gill, while the Indian team captain picked New Zealand pacer Matt Henry. Apart from that, they answered some other questions as well.
this was so fun to watch😂💙 from the #NZvIND captains photoshoot !! https://t.co/kyo9C0wDlt
— ` (@cupc4ke77) November 3, 2026
They were asked to name one cricketer they hate facing among the two sides; Gill answered his counterpart, Santner, and the Kiwi captain named Arshdeep Singh. On the question of one word to describe playing against each other. The Indian team captain went on to say it's a fierce competition. While Santner said, ‘Yeah, enjoyable but great competition.’
Shubman Gill vs Mitchell Santner in ODIs
Gill and Santner have faced each other multiple times in the ODIs. However, the Men in Blue captain had the better record against the Kiwi captain in this format. Only once has Mitchell Santner been able to dismiss Shubman in the 50-over format, which was back in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final in Dubai, with Glenn Phillips taking a sensational one-handed catch.
In 21 overs against Shubman, the batter has scored 125 runs at a strike rate of nearly hundred. The average has been 125, which showcases the dominance of Gill against Santner in this format. He would like to continue the same domination given the form he is in and would love to win matches for the side and also give India good starts.
Santner, on the other hand, would like to pick crucial wickets, especially of Gill if they face each other in the middle overs or in the first 10 overs of the innings. This battle would be one to watch out for.
Also Read: Shubman Gill reveals latest update on neck injury after prolonged fitness concerns
India vs New Zealand ODI results
The last time these two sides met in the ODI series was back in India in early 2026, when a young Kiwi side defeated them 1-2 to win the ODI series against the Men in Blue for the first time in India. Despite winning the first game, the Black Caps came back strong in the series and created history.
Now it's time for Shubman Gill’s side to take revenge on the Kiwis. He would like to win the series and mark his first series win as captain in SENA countries. The Men in Blue have not won the ODI series here in the last six years. The last time they won the ODI series was back in 2018/19 when Virat Kohli was the captain.
