Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and ODI captain Shubman Gill received personalized rugby jerseys from former New Zealand rugby great Keven Mealamu ahead of the first ODI. The special meeting brought together sporting legends from two nations with a rich sporting history.
The Indian team arrived in New Zealand for a multi-match white-ball series. The visitors won the toss and opted to bowl first in the five-match series opener at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday. They made the most of the conditions and picked up eight wickets for just 131 runs.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill Meet All Blacks Legend Keven Mealamu
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared photographs of the meeting on social media. The pictures showed Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma posing with personalized black All Blacks jerseys alongside Mealamu shortly before the series opener began.
Sharing pictures of the meeting, the BCCI posted on its official X account.
"A special moment before the start of play. Captain @ShubmanGill, @imVkohli, and @ImRo45 meet with the legendary Keven Mealamu, a titan of New Zealand rugby and are presented with personalized rugby jerseys," the BCCI posted on X.
A special moment before the start of play 🇮🇳🇳🇿 Captain @ShubmanGill, @imVkohli and @ImRo45 meet with the legendary Keven Mealamu, a titan of New Zealand rugby and are presented with personalized rugby jerseys. #TeamIndia | @AllBlacks https://t.co/Kw8OLfk1N9
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 4, 2026
The 47-year-old represented New Zealand in 132 international matches and remains one of the most-capped players in All Blacks history. He also captained the national team and played a key role in their Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2011 and 2015, becoming one of only 21 players to win the tournament twice.
Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar Lead India's Early Wicket Haul Against New Zealand
After the pre-match meeting, India began the ODI series by putting New Zealand under pressure with the ball. Gill won the toss and elected to field first under overcast conditions, allowing the Indian seamers to make the most of the assistance on offer.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh provided the first breakthroughs by dismissing Will Young and Henry Nicholls for nine runs each during the opening powerplay. New Zealand struggled to build partnerships as the Indian bowlers maintained pressure.
Gurnoor Brar continued the attack during the middle overs, dismissing Tim Seifert for 38 before taking a spectacular one-handed return catch to remove Tom Latham for three. The two wickets left New Zealand struggling to recover from their top-order collapse.
Daryl Mitchell attempted to rebuild the innings alongside Glenn Phillips, but Rohit Sharma produced another breakthrough in the 22nd over. Mitchell was hesitant while attempting a single, allowing Rohit to execute a diving throw and run him out for 28.
New Zealand subsequently slipped to 115/7, losing wickets at regular intervals. Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar had picked up two wickets apiece, leaving the hosts in a difficult position.
Virat Kohli Takes Two Catches as Arshdeep Singh Claims Third New Zealand Wicket
Virat Kohli also contributed in the field as India continued to dominate the innings. The former India captain had already taken a spectacular one-handed catch earlier in the match before completing a regulation catch at extra cover to dismiss Kyle Jamieson.
Arshdeep celebrated his third wicket of the match as New Zealand lost their eighth wicket. Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 27 off 40 deliveries at the other end, having watched several batting partners depart during the collapse.
India entered the ODI series after winning the preceding five-match T20I series 3-2 under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy. The two teams will also play a two-Test series following the ODIs, with the opening Test scheduled to begin on November 19.
