Following India’s 3-2 triumph in the T20I series against New Zealand on Sunday, the focus is back once again on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – the two stalwarts of the game – as India prepare for a five-match ODI series, that starts on November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland. having retired from Tests and T20Is, Rohit and Kohli only play in the 50-over format for India.
Ever since the duo landed in New Zealand, there has been a frenzy among the fans, to only get a glimpse of Kohli and Rohit. The two former captains hit the ground running on October 30, along with the likes of captain , KL Rahul and the other members of the side.
While India have dominated New Zealand in T20Is in 2026, the Kiwis dominated the Men in Blue in ODIs. During New Zealand’s tour of India in January 2026, the Kiwis came back from a game down to win 2-1. For India, it will be a perfect opportunity to level the scores.
Notably, and have toured New Zealand quite a few times in their senior career. Earlier Kohli toured New Zealand in 2007 with the Indian U-19 team. In what could be their final tour of New Zealand, both Kohli and Rohit would want to end on a high.
India have visited New Zealand 10 times for a bilateral ODI series before, with the home side winning six times as compared to India’s win on two occasions. Two series ended in a draws. Although India hadn’t had a great time in ODIs in New Zealand overall, and Rohit enjoyed their time in this corner of the world. The last time India won an ODI series in New Zealand was in 2018-19, winning 4-1.
caught the attention of everyone when he scored a hundred on his first-ever ODI in New Zealand back in 2014 in Napier. Since then there was no looking back for the right-handed middle order batter as he consistently scored runs. Out of his 13 matches, Kohli fell for single digits only thrice.
As far as Rohit is concerned, his first game in New Zealand came in 2009, although he didn’t get to bat (he used to bat in lower middle-order then). Unlike Kohli, Rohit is yet to score an ODI hundred in New Zealand.
Both Rohit and Kohli are coming off good form. During the recent ODI series against West Indies, Kohli scored 168 runs in three innings including a 139 not out off 88 balls in the first match while chasing a target of 296. Meanwhile, Rohit, despite all the chatter around his place and fitness ahead of the 2027 World Cup, continues to go strong and even scored a hundred in England, although in a losing cause.
Kohli and remain key figures in India’s ODI setup as they continue their preparations for the 2027 World Cup. Kohli, the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history, has accumulated 15,109 runs, including 55 centuries, while Rohit has scored 12,120 runs in the format, with 35 hundreds.
In fact, Rohit is India’s third-highest run-scorer in ODIs. He has maintained a rich run of form in ODIs this year, with 604 runs across 12 innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 104.67, including two centuries and two fifties and a best score of 138.
During the ODIs against West Indies, Rohit was India’s second-highest run-scorer, with 225 runs in three innings at an average of 75.00 and a strike rate of over 115, including a century and a fifty and a best score of 101.
