Big picture: India vs NZ is a battle of titans

And already, it's time to top it, which is exactly why it feels amazing. Because this series - for all the spin put into it - was going to be just another notch in the bilateral cricket calendar. Instead, it's become something that actually matters. And it's become something fun. There's a buzz. There's an expectation. There's a thrill. As if we haven't seen anything yet because imagine even half of what happened two days ago happening at the World Cup.

So here we are, still feeling the tremors of that game, and an excitement for what's to come. Because India vs New Zealand is a battle of titans and equals.

India WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLW

In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya and Glenn Phillips

Team news: Will India try Malik? Is Sodhi back to fitness?

The middle overs didn't go India's way with the ball in Hyderabad. Would that tempt them to bring in Umran Malik? The upside is his pace. The downside is their batting depth takes a big hit if he comes in for Shardul Thakur.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Ish Sodhi, currently out with an ankle injury, is tracking well according to New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi. A call on his inclusion will be made later.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Henry Nicholls, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi/Henry Shipley, 10 Doug Bracewell, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions: Raipur's first ever ODI

A sellout crowd of over 50,000 is expected in Raipur to mark the occasion of its first ever ODI. The city is also in the running to host Women's IPL matches in March. Seems good things happen to not just to people who wait but stadiums as well. No one's really sure how the pitch will behave, although Mitchell Santner suspects it has more bounce than Hyderabad. Dew will once again play a role on a day where the temperature will go up to 31C in the afternoon and then down to 21C in the evening. No rain is expected.