IND vs NZ Weather Report, Pitch Report of Kotambi Stadium- 1st ODI, New Zealand tour of India 2026

BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara [Source: @ShayanAcharya/X]

India will cross swords against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series on Sunday, January 11. Led by Shubman Gill, India would be keen to dominate New Zealand's inexperienced outfit and get a winning start to the series. 

Apart from captain Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer will also make his cricketing comeback for India in the first ODI against New Zealand, which is set to be played at the BCA stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. 

While Shubman Gill will spearhead the Indian batting with the legendary duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the hosts will depend on Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav for a dominating performance with the ball. 

Talking about New Zealand, the tourists will be led by Michael Bracewell, with Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Kyle Jamieson likely to play significant roles for them in this encounter. 

Both teams are riding high on confidence following their recent ODI series wins over South Africa and West Indies. As they get ready to face each other, here we explain the playing conditions, including the weather and the pitch report of the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. 

Vadodara Weather Report for IND vs NZ 1st ODI

According to AccuWeather, the temperature in Vadodara will vary from 20 to 29 degrees Celsius during the first ODI between India and New Zealand. The wind will gently blow towards the East at a speed of 9 kilometres per hour. So, expect clear weather for the ODI series opener, with rain unlikely to play spoilsport in the fascinating contest. 

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BCA Stadium Kotambi Vadodara Pitch Report for IND vs NZ 1st ODI

The ODI series opener between India and New Zealand will be the first-ever men's international cricket match at the BCA stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. The venue in the Western part of India has witnessed three Women's international matches, with the team batting first winning two out of them. 

Considering it's a day-night fixture, the pitch won't likely offer significant seam movement to the fast bowlers in the first half. The pace and bounce of the surface in Vadodara will likely be ideal for stroke play, especially in the early phase of the match. 

However, the pitch might slow down a bit as the game progresses, eventually bringing the spinners into play. The track could quicken up a bit and assist the new ball bowlers under the lights. So, batters from the chasing side must negotiate the first few overs carefully before adopting an aggressive route. Given that dew could play a decisive role, the toss-winning team might opt to bowl first. 

Conclusion

The BCA stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, hasn't hosted a single men's international match yet. So, there's some definite curiosity surrounding the expected behaviour of its pitch in the first ODI between India and New Zealand. 

According to the images doing the rounds on social media, it will be a track with little grass covering. So, expect the batters and spinners to dominate the proceedings, while the fast bowlers will mostly rely on variations and change-ups to succeed. Considering the nature of the pitch, the chasing side will have a slight edge over the team batting first in the inaugural ODI between India and New Zealand. 

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