VADODARA – The Indian cricket team is set to launch its 2026 home season tomorrow, Sunday, January 11, with the first of three ODIs against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi. While the series serves as a vital tune-up for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the spotlight is firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom are chasing career-defining milestones that could be shattered in the very first match.
1. Virat Kohli: Chasing “The Little Master” and “Sanga”
Virat Kohli enters the series in “red-hot form,” having recently struck two centuries against South Africa. He currently sits on 27,975 international runs and has multiple records within a single day’s reach:
- The 28,000 Club: Kohli needs just 25 runs to reach 28,000 international runs. If he does it tomorrow, he will be the fastest ever to the mark, beating Sachin Tendulkar (644 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (666 innings) in his 624th innings.
- Overtaking Sangakkara: With 42 more runs, Kohli will surpass Kumar Sangakkara’s career total of 28,016, officially becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the history of international cricket, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar.
- The New Zealand Rivalry: Kohli (1,657 runs) is 94 runs away from overtaking Tendulkar (1,750 runs) as the highest-ever run-scorer in India-New Zealand ODI history.
2. Rohit Sharma: The “Hitman” vs. The All-Rounder
After finding his rhythm in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Rohit Sharma is poised to climb the ladder of all-time ODI greats.
- Passing Jacques Kallis: Rohit currently has 11,516 ODI runs. He needs only 64 runs to move past South African legend Jacques Kallis (11,579) and take the 8th spot on the all-time ODI run-scorers list.
- The Inzamam Target: Should Rohit have a prolific series (needing 224 runs across three games), he could also leapfrog Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq (11,739) to reach 7th place.
3. Series Schedule & Venue Information
This short, high-intensity series offers no room for error, with matches scheduled in quick succession across three venues known for being batting paradises.
| Match | Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 1st ODI | Sunday, Jan 11 | BCA Stadium, Vadodara | 1:30 PM |
| 2nd ODI | Wednesday, Jan 14 | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 1:30 PM |
| 3rd ODI | Sunday, Jan 18 | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 1:30 PM |
4. Team News: Gill Leads, Seniors Anchor
The series marks the official return of Shubman Gill as ODI captain following his recovery from injury. He will be supported by Shreyas Iyer, who returns as vice-captain (subject to final fitness clearance), and a pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj in the absence of a rested Jasprit Bumrah.
“Having Rohit and Virat in the team makes a captain’s job much easier. Whenever you are in a challenging situation, you can go to them for input.” — Shubman Gill, India Captain