Shreyas Iyer will captain India for the first time in one-day international cricket when the side plays the final two matches of their series against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui.

The change follows the departure of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj from the ODI squad after the third match of the five-match series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November. The three players were selected only for the first three ODIs and have now travelled to Wellington to prepare for the two-match Test series, which begins on 19 November at the Basin Reserve.

Gill captained India in the first three ODIs, with Iyer as his vice-captain. The roles now reverse in effect: Iyer takes charge for the fourth and fifth ODIs, at Bay Oval on 13 and 15 November, while wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been named vice-captain.

India already hold an unassailable lead

India lead the series 2-0 and cannot lose it, whatever happens in the remaining two matches. They won the opener in Auckland by five wickets and the second match in Wellington by four runs, with both games decided under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after rain interruptions.

The third ODI at Seddon Park produced no cricket at all. Persistent rain and a wet outfield kept the players off the field all day, even though Gill won the toss for the third match in a row and chose to bowl. The umpires eventually called the game off, leaving New Zealand able at best to draw the series 2-2.

That washout also ended New Zealand's run of 11 consecutive bilateral ODI series wins at home, a sequence stretching back to 2019.

New faces join the squad

Three players have joined the ODI squad for the final two matches. Tilak Varma returns to the 50-over side, having last played an ODI against South Africa in December 2025, while fast bowler Yash Thakur and wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra have received their first ODI call-ups.

Iyer, who is India's full-time Twenty20 captain, has led the side in the shortest format but has never captained the senior team in an ODI. He led India to a 3-2 win in the T20I series against New Zealand earlier on this tour, and the final two ODIs will give him a further chance to show his leadership in a different format.

The remaining squad still contains plenty of experience. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stay with the ODI group, alongside Kishan, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, so Iyer will not be short of senior players to lean on.

Tests take priority for Gill and Rahul

The split of the squad was planned before the tour, with the BCCI naming separate groups for the first three and final two ODIs so that key players could be managed ahead of the Test series. Gill will captain India in the Tests, and Rahul is expected to play an important part in the red-ball side.

Former India fast bowler Dodda Ganesh questioned the decision to release Gill and Rahul early, arguing that competitive cricket would have prepared them better than extra net sessions. The team management, however, has stuck to the plan it set out before the tour, and the two Tests carry considerable weight for India's hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final.

For New Zealand, the final two ODIs are about pride and momentum. They have not won a match in the series yet, and a 2-2 draw would at least restore some confidence before the Tests. For India, the games offer a chance to test their bench strength under a new captain while the senior Test group prepares in Wellington.