India vs New Zealand 2017: India's predicted playing XI for first ODI

Middle-order

Unless he gets injured on the eve of the match, skipper Virat Kohli is a certainty in the Indian playing XI. After missing out in the ODI series against the Aussies, Kohli will look to punish the Kiwi bowlers and make up for the failure (by his standards) in the previous series.

Following the Indian skipper will be Manish Pandey, for whom this is a do-or-die series. The Karnataka batsman has been facing a lot of criticism of late because of inconsistency and a failure in the upcoming series will seal his fate.

Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been solid in recent matches and is still crucial for the Indian side in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup. He will look to continue his good work in the New Zealand series.