India's inexperienced pace attack impressed in the first ODI against New Zealand. As the visitors eye another win in the second ODI at Wellington, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh will look to maintain their impact.India take on New Zealand in the 2nd ODI at Wellington.

Wellington,Nov 6, 2026 21:28 ISTIndia's inexperienced pace attack arrived in New Zealand with plenty to prove. The series opener in Auckland, however, offered an encouraging response.

Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh combined to unsettle the hosts' batting line-up, giving Gautam Gambhir plenty to think about ahead of Saturday's second ODI at Hnry Stadium.There were question marks over India's bowling resources before the series, particularly with an attack short on international experience. Those concerns have eased, at least for now.

The young quicks showed they could bowl with discipline and keep New Zealand's batters under pressure.Kamboj, in particular, made a strong impression. Although Arshdeep finished with the most wickets, the Haryana pacer was arguably India's best bowler on the day.

His 46 dot balls reflected the control he brought to the attack. While the others looked to extract bounce by hitting the deck, Kamboj stuck to his lengths and found movement without offering the batters much to work with.NEW ZEALAND NEED A RESPONSENew Zealand's biggest problem was their inability to handle India's extra bounce.

Several batters tried to take on the short ball, only to find themselves in trouble. Skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged as much after the game, admitting that his side hadn't dealt well with the Indian pacers.

The hosts will need a better plan this time. They can't afford to keep attempting pull shots without judging the length or getting into position.

Rotating the strike and waiting for scoring opportunities could be a more sensible approach against an attack that looked comfortable dictating terms in Auckland.A DIFFERENT TEST IN WELLINGTONIndia, meanwhile, will have to adjust their plans to suit the conditions. Eden Park had shorter straight boundaries, while Hnry Stadium has shorter square boundaries.

That could make a sustained short-ball approach more expensive, forcing the pacers to be smarter with their lengths. Kamboj's ability to hit consistent lines and lengths could prove particularly useful.

India also have some batting concerns to address. Rohit Sharma will be keen to put his first-over dismissal behind him, while Virat Kohli looked in excellent touch during the chase in Auckland.

Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel, however, struggled against the short ball and will want to make amends.For Gambhir, the performances of the young quicks offer another talking point. The head coach has often favoured players who bring multiple skills to the side, but the opening ODI showed the value of backing specialist fast bowlers.India have given themselves a good start.

Now they need to build on it.NZ VS IND 2ND ODI: TEAM NEWSIndia could make a change to their pace attack, with Mohammed Siraj back in the squad after completing his assignment against New Zealand A. The senior fast bowler is in contention to take Auqib Nabi's place.New Zealand, on the other hand, have been forced into a reshuffle following Devon Conway's concussion, which has ruled him out of the remaining ODIs.Nick Kelly has been drafted into the squad, although Tim Seifert is likely to retain his opening spot alongside Will Young.

Matt Henry is also in line for a return after being cleared of concussion, giving the hosts a timely boost to their bowling attack.NZ VS IND 2ND ODI: PITCH REPORTHnry Stadium in Wellington has consistently offered balanced encounters, with recent trends indicating that teams setting a target might hold an advantage.Across the four recent matches recorded at the venue, the average score when batting first sits around 245. Indeed, defended totals like 252 by India and 234 by England highlight the viability of setting a score, as does South Africa's successful defense of 271 back in 2017.Nevertheless, chasing remains a strong possibility, highlighted by New Zealand successfully running down England's 222 target in November 2025.

While batters find ample opportunity to construct sizeable innings on this surface, these moderate totals demonstrate that bowlers remain well in play, making a score near 260 highly competitive.NZ VS IND 2ND ODI: WEATHER FORECASTThe weather forecast offers little encouragement for fans hoping to see a full game in the second ODI between New Zealand and India. According to BBC Weather, rain is expected to remain a threat throughout the day, raising the possibility of interruptions or even a washout.The chances of precipitation are forecast to range between 38 and 59 per cent, suggesting that conditions could remain unsettled for much of the match.

Temperatures are expected to hover around 19 degrees Celsius before dropping as the evening progresses. With rain in the forecast across the day, both teams could face an uncertain wait for favourable playing conditions.NZ VS IND 2ND ODI: FULL SQUADS, PREDICTED XIsIndia Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed SirajNew Zealand Predicted XI: Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Matt HenryIndia Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Kishan (WK), Kuldeep YadavNew Zealand Squad: Will Young, Tim Seifert (WK), Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(WK), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Nick Kelly, Matthew Fisher, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry- Ends