New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the fifth ODI series decider at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
India handed fast bowler Yash Thakur his maiden ODI cap and brought experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj into the playing eleven.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir targets his first away ODI series triumph, while New Zealand aims to avoid its first home bilateral 50-over defeat in seven years.
Thakur replaces Gurnoor Brar, who joined the Test squad in Wellington, while Siraj steps in for left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
India captain Shreyas Iyer praised Thakur as a jovial player who waited patiently for this opportunity and wished him luck on his debut.
Iyer added that Siraj craved multi-format opportunities, noting his vast experience helps the team navigate high-pressure situations.
Reflecting on their previous 244-run defeat after getting bowled out for 89, Iyer stated the team recovered well and entered the match in high spirits.
He observed that the pitch played straight without much seam movement earlier, giving India strong confidence to bat first.
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner finally won a toss in the multi-format series and opted to bowl due to expected evening showers and dew.
New Zealand excluded pacers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson for Test preparations, bringing Blair Tickner and Jacob Duffy back into the four-seamer attack.
Santner emphasized that a packed schedule in a World Cup year requires squad rotation, allowing incoming bowlers to build depth and perform immediately.
India fields Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Thakur.
New Zealand fields Will Young, Tim Seifert, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Kristian Clarke, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, and Matthew Fisher.
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