New Zealand might have had their moments in the recently-concluded Test series, but for the most part, they were thoroughly outplayed by an India side, who stepped up in the big moments and kept winning those crucial sessions. Being handed a 3-0 whitewash in a series is something that can get a team down, but the Kiwis, as they have shown in the past, are made of stern stuff, and when the ODI series comes calling, they will be expected to give MS Dhoni's men a real run for their money.
The two formats are, of course, vastly different, and with the ODI pitches likely to be a lot more flat and batsman-friendly, expect this series to be closely contested. The first ODI is in Dharamsala, and that is a pitch that always provides big runs, so we could be in for a barnstorming start to the series.
India haven't played one-day internationals with a full strength team since January, 2016 – they played Zimbabwe in June, but barring MS Dhoni all the rest of the big players were rested. The Indians did not do too well when they had a powerful squad, with Australia dominating them 4-1 in the ODI series down under.
While a lot of the focus will already be on the big five-match Test series against England that starts next month, India will want to make sure they maintain their dominance over the Kiwis on this tour. New Zealand haven't tasted victory yet and the mark of a team that wants to dominate in all formats is to never take the foot off the pedal. With Dhoni back at the helm, it will be interesting to see how smoothly India switch to a different format.
The fact that this is a five-match series gives both teams enough time to settle in, but they will also be aware of setting the tone in the first one-day international.
For New Zealand, this series will be about redemption and showing India that they are a better team than the one that failed to get anything out of the Test series. Wanting to make a point and get one over a team who beat you comprehensively can be a big motivator and Mike Hesson, the Black Caps coach, will certainly hope that is the case in this series.
TV listings:
India: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD3.
New Zealand: Sky Sport.
UK: Sky Sports.
USA and Canada: Willow TV.
Middle East: OSN Sports Cricket.
ODI series schedule: India vs New Zealand.
1st ODI: India vs New Zealand.
Date: Sunday, October 16.
Time: 1.30pm IST (9pm NZT, 9am BST, 4am ET).
Venue: HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
2nd ODI: India vs New Zealand.
Date: Thursday, October 20.
Time: 1.30pm IST (9pm NZT, 9am BST, 4am ET).
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
3rd ODI: India vs New Zealand.
Date: Sunday, October 23.
Time: 1.30pm IST (9pm NZT, 9am BST, 4am ET).
Venue: PCA Stadium in Mohali.
4th ODI: India vs New Zealand.
Date: Wednesday, October 26.
Time: 1.30pm IST (9pm NZT, 9am BST, 4am ET).
Venue: JSCA Stadium in Ranchi.
5th ODI: India vs New Zealand.
Date: Saturday, October 29.
Time: 1.30pm IST (9pm NZT, 9am BST, 4am ET).
Venue: ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
