Prithvi Shaw to open for India in ODIs, confirms Virat Kohli

Hamilton, Feb 4: Team India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday confirmed that Prithvi Shaw will be in the playing XI, when the Men in Blue takes on New Zealand in the first ODI of the series. Shaw was included in the squad as a replacement for injured Shikhar Dhawan.

The Indian run-machine also said that KL Rahul, who has been performing in all fronts for the team, will bat in the middle.

"It is unfortunate that Rohit (Shrma) cannot be part of the ODI series, the impact he has had is there for everyone to see. We do not have any ODI tournaments to look up to, so it is ideal for him to get recovered. In ODI cricket, Prithvi is definitely going to start, KL will play in the middle-order. We want him to get accustomed to keep and play in the middle," Kohli told reporters ahead of the first ODI.

"In ODIs, we played a really hard-fought series against Australia, we lost the first match, but then came back to win the series 2-1. We will take a lot of confidence from that series, we will try to play positive cricket. We have to believe in our own plans, we know that New Zealand will not give up and we need to be vary of that," he added.

India thrashed the Kiwis 5-0 in the just concluded T20I rubber and will now face them in a three-match 50-over series before the two Tests.