Rugby Legend Kevin Mealamu Gifts Special Jerseys to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill

Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and captain Shubman Gill received special personalised rugby jerseys from New Zealand rugby legend Kevin Mealamu during a meeting ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.
 

The meeting took place on the day of the opening match of the ODI series at Eden Park. Mealamu presented specially designed rugby jerseys to Gill, Rohit and Kohli as part of a memorable interaction between personalities from two different sporting backgrounds.
 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared photographs of the meeting on social media platform X. In its post, the BCCI described the interaction as a special moment before the match, highlighting the meeting between the three Indian cricketers and the New Zealand rugby great.
 

Born on March 20, 1979, Kevin Mealamu is regarded as one of the finest hookers to have represented New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks. He is also among the most respected personalities in New Zealand's sporting community.
 

The interaction highlighted the sporting friendship and mutual respect shared by athletes from different disciplines.
 

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Gill Chooses to Bowl
 

Meanwhile, Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the opening ODI at Eden Park, Auckland.
 

The five-match series is an important part of India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. It also marks the return of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the 50-over format.
 

India will be looking to improve its ODI record on New Zealand soil. The team's last ODI victory in the country came in February 2019. Since then, India have played two ODI series there, losing one 3-0 and the other 1-0.
 

India's Recent ODI Record
 

India's performances in the 50-over format have been inconsistent since winning the Champions Trophy in early 2025.
 

Of their last six ODI series, India have won three and lost three. The defeats came against Australia, New Zealand and England.
 

New Zealand also won the most recent ODI series between the two sides by a 2-1 margin.
 

Playing XIs
 

New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner.
 

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Aaqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh.