The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand is all set to get underway on Sunday (January 11) in Vadodara.

On the eve of the first ODI, India skipper Shubman Gill addressed a press conference, where he reflected on what it was like to have veteran campaigners such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still doing their thing in the XI.

Kohli and Rohit will be back in action during the New Zealand ODIs. Both of them looked in fine touch in recent series against Australia and South Africa.

While Rohit clinched the Player-of-the-Series award in Australia, Kohli bagged the honour in the home assignment against Proteas.

“Among the two players you have named, one is one of the greatest openers (Rohit) of all time in ODIs, and Virat bhai is one of the greatest ODI batsmen ever. So, definitely when you have these two people in your team, it makes your life a lot more easier,” Gill told reporters.

“And whenever you are in that kind of situation, if you are in a tough situation, they always have been in those kinds of situations and conditions many times in their life. So, you can always go to them and see what they are thinking or what they would do. And that piece of information is very valuable for any captain,” he added.

While there have been reports of some rift within the dressing room in the ODI outfit as ideas between senior players and management clash, Shubman Gill played those down.

“I think the team atmosphere is amazing. The players that you named have been in this atmosphere for decades, and they are the people who always try to push Indian cricket forward,” Gill remarked. “And I think even in the last series, you saw how well they performed. So I think the atmosphere in the team is great right now.”

After the ODI series, India and New Zealand will engage in a five-match T20I series, which will serve as a final dress rehearsal for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.