New Zealand has named a rather inexperienced ODI squad for their upcoming three-match series against India in January. Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has called the squad "unrecognizable," highlighting the absence of several key players like Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, and Mitchell Santner. Six of the players from New Zealand’s Champions Trophy 2025 final against India are missing from the squad.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “I have never seen a more unrecognizable squad than this." He further elaborated, “New Zealand combine the fingers to make a fist. That is the kind of philosophy they come in with, but for that, they have good players.”

Chopra mentioned that New Zealand's squad still includes some well-known players like Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Michael Bracewell (captain), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Devon Conway. However, he pointed out that there are several new faces in the squad, including Josh Clarkson, Nick Kelly, Zak Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Mitchell Hay, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Michael Rae, and Kyle Jamieson.

"There are five or six names, about whom if you don't know, it's not a slight that you don't follow cricket. They are all very new names," Chopra said.

Meanwhile, India ODI captain Shubman Gill highlighted the invaluable experience of senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team. In a pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI, Gill described Rohit as one of the greatest openers in ODI history and Virat as one of the greatest ODI batsmen ever. He acknowledged that having these two stalwarts in the team makes his job as captain easier, especially when making decisions in challenging situations. "You can always go to them for input because they have often been in those situations," Gill added.