Who Are the Key Players With Proven Eden Park Form in NZ vs IND 1st ODI 2026?

Match 1 | India tour of New Zealand 2026 | Eden Park, Auckland | 4 November 2026

Eden Park has been kind to New Zealand in this fixture, with the hosts winning six of the ten ODIs played between the sides there, India taking three and one finishing tied. That record raises a simple question for 4 November: whose experience at the ground will actually count? Tom Latham’s 206 runs lead the home squad, while Shreyas Iyer’s 132 tops the visitors. Recent form complicates the picture further, because several of the visiting batters arrive carrying huge scores from their last series.

Eden Park Favours the Hosts

India and New Zealand have met ten times in ODIs at this ground, with the hosts winning six, the visitors three and one match tied. New Zealand took the two most recent meetings, on 8 February 2020 and 25 November 2022, so the recent trend points firmly toward the home side.

India’s wider record at Eden Park, against all opponents, reads 11 matches with four wins, six defeats and a tie. Guptill leads the ODI run chart at the ground on 818 and Crowe follows on 719, while Cairns heads the wicket chart with 33. Those names set the benchmark that today’s squads are measured against, and nobody in either dressing room is close to them yet.

NZ vs IND 1st ODI 2026 key players

Latham is the clear home favourite, with 206 ODI runs at Eden Park from six matches and a best of 145 not out, so he is the first name on any list of home contributors. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway both played in the 2022 game there and scored 11 and 13, respectively, which leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Kyle Jamieson made 25 not out and took 2 for 42 on his Eden Park ODI in 2020, earning the player of the match award. Mitchell Santner went wicketless for 56 in 2022 and Matt Henry for 48, so the seamers and spinner alike have unfinished business.

India’s Proven Eden Park Names

Iyer owns the best Indian numbers at the ground, 132 runs from two matches, including 80 in the 2022 game. Virat Kohli has 59 from three matches and Rohit Sharma 55 from two, while Shubman Gill has 50 from his only appearance, a half-century that arrived in the same match Iyer starred in.

KL Rahul’s single innings at Eden Park produced just 4 runs, the thinnest return among the senior group. Kohli’s best at the venue is 38, so the veterans have more to prove at this ground than their reputations suggest.

Form Meets Venue Record

Recent scores sharpen the picture. Kohli made an unbeaten 139 and Rohit 101 against West Indies, Gill hit 223 not out in that series and 77 against England, and Iyer has 66 and a duck against England. Rahul’s latest innings was only 12 against England, which dampens an otherwise striking set of scores.

For New Zealand, Latham scored 25, 37 not out and 31 not out against West Indies, Mitchell made 65, 28 and 28, and Santner’s recent bowling returns are 0 for 42 and 2 for 15. The table puts form and venue record side by side so the contrast is easy to see.

Lessons From the 2022 Match

On 25 November 2022, New Zealand chased down 306 for 7 with 309 for 3 and won by seven wickets. Latham made an unbeaten 145 and Williamson 94 not out, answering Iyer’s 80, Dhawan’s 72 and Gill’s 50 for India.

Eight members of the current group were part of that game, with Latham, Conway, Mitchell, Phillips, Santner and Henry for the hosts and Gill and Iyer for India, which makes the NZ vs IND 1st ODI 2026 key players a mix of old rivals. Latham won the player of the match award then, following Jamieson in 2020 and Jadeja in 2014.

Will Latham’s Eden Park record outweigh Iyer’s form this time? Tell us in the comments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who has the best ODI record at Eden Park in the New Zealand squad?

Tom Latham has the best record, with 206 runs from six ODIs at Eden Park. His highest score there is an unbeaten 145, made in the 2022 win over India.

How many ODIs have India and New Zealand played at Eden Park?

India and New Zealand have played ten ODIs at Eden Park. New Zealand won six of them, India won three, and one match ended in a tie.

Which current Indian batter has the most ODI runs at Eden Park?

Shreyas Iyer leads the Indian squad with 132 runs from two matches at Eden Park. Kohli has 59, Rohit has 55, and Gill has 50 at the same ground.

Who has scored the most ODI runs at Eden Park?

Martin Guptill holds the Eden Park ODI run record with 818 runs. Crowe is next on 719, and Cairns leads the wicket chart with 33.

Who won player of the match in the last India v New Zealand ODI at Eden Park?

Tom Latham won player of the match on 25 November 2022. He scored an unbeaten 145 as New Zealand chased 307 with seven wickets in hand.