India vs NZ ODI Predictions: Experts pick the series result and top performers

Rahul Kargal

Unlike India’s previous home series, I don’t expect the India-New Zealand series to be played on batting friendly surfaces. Suresh Raina, who is making a comeback, might find it difficult against New Zealand’s quality pacers, and could very well see the end of his career during this series. As far as the scoreline is concerned, I predict a 4-1 series win for India. Kane Williamson will score the highest runs in the series, and will also be the man of the series. India’s leggie Amit Mishra might very well expose New Zealand’s fragility against spin and will take the highest number of wickets in the series. Debutant spinner, Jayant Yadav will surprise everyone with his performance in the series.

Srihari

I seriously hope the series is played on pitches rather than highways, where we get to see a good balance between bat and ball. New Zealand will bounce back from the drubbing they received in the Tests, and will come out victorious in a closely contested ODI series by a margin of 3-2. New Zealand skipper and leading batsman, Kane Williamson, be the top run-getter, that will also win him the man of the series award. Right arm quick, Matt Henry, will trouble the Indian batsmen with his slippery pace, and he will take the highest number of wickets in the series. The hard-hitting Corey Anderson, who is making a comeback in the New Zealand side, will surprise everyone with some quick fire innings in the middle order,

Manish Pathak

This series will be in and around MS Dhoni since his biopic came out recently. I expect India to win the series 3-2, with Rohit Sharma continuing his fine vein of form in the ODIs, and scoring the highest runs in the series. The Mumbai-lad will also be the player of the series, further growing his legend in the shorter format. Youngster Axar Patel will trouble the Kiwis with the ball, and take the most number of wickets in the series. I expect Mitchell Santner, who was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand in Tests, to come good in the ODIs and surprise everyone with his performance.

Vignesh Ananthasubramanian

The outcome of this series will depend on the winner of the battle between Indian batsmen and New Zealand bowlers. The will be a competitive series, and I expect the hosts to run away with the series 3-2. Being a big fan of Rohit Sharma, I back him to be the series' leading run scorer and win the Man of the Series award. Jasprit Bumrah will scalp the most wickets. I expect Hardik Pandya to surprise everyone with his performance and I have a gut feeling that this series will be Suresh Raina's final ODI series.

Shankar Narayan

After losing the Test series 3-0, I expect New Zealand to struggle in the ODIs as well. MS Dhoni may have a slightly depleted squad, but I expect some of them to stand up and perform and play a vital role in India winning the series. The highest run-getter will be Virat Kohli, as it has by far been Kohli’s year in limited-overs cricket and I expect him to carry that run into the New Zealand series as well. The pitches in the series are likely to assist spin, but I expect Jasprit Bumrah to be the standout player and take the highest wickets, despite conditions not suiting him.

Despite a significant portion of the rules being in the batsman’s favour, I expect Bumrah to come out trumps in the limited-overs series and win the Player of the Series award for his performance. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel will provide Dhoni with a like-for-like all round option with both bat and ball. He has been in and out of the side, but I expect this series to be a turning point in his career.

Kaushal Raj

Highly excited to see the 'men in blue' in blue again. India begin the series in 4th place in the ODI rankings and given how aggressively Kohli and Kumble went after the No. 1 spot in the Tests; I would expect India to make a push upwards here as well. MS Dhoni, of course, will have redemption on his mind as memories of the T20I against West Indies will still be fresh in mind. For the Kiwis, they will be desperate to avenge the loss in the Test series. That said, India have too much in the tank for the Kiwis.

I expect them to whitewash the Kiwis 5 - 0 with Virat Kohli playing a starring role. He will be the leading run scorer as well as the man of the series. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah will continue his exceptional work and just edge out Trent Boult at the top. I think we might see a different side of MS Dhoni. He will play with more freedom, and his aggressive style will be a surprise.