The India-New Zealand ODI series does not have much riding on it, but the presence of two beloved, albeit seldom seen, superstars has been enough to whet the appetite of fans.
Former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are now restricted to the 50-over format, having retired from T20s and Tests.
With the IPL the only other platform both feature in, fans have to wait to catch a glimpse of two of the greatest white-ball batters of the modern era.
Kohli seems sharper and hungrier than he has in a while. Continuing his fine form that began late last year, Kohli has hit five successive fifty-plus scores, which include successive centuries, two not-outs and one score of 93.
He missed out on his 54th ODI ton – he is already the leading century maker in 50-over cricket – during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara.
His 93-run knock held the innings together as India were pushed hard before successfully chasing down the 301-run target.
And while he missed out on the century, Kohli added another feather to his cap by becoming the second-highest run-getter in international cricket, overtaking Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (28,016) and with only Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar (34,357) ahead of him.
“If I look back at my whole journey, it's nothing short of a dream come true for me,” Kohli said after reaching a new milestone following the Vadodara ODI.
“I've always known my abilities, how much ability I had when I came in and I had to work for a lot more to get to the place I am today. God has blessed me with way too much for me to complain about anything.
“I always look back at my whole journey with a lot of grace, a lot of gratitude in my heart and I feel proud about it.”
There are very few signs of Kohli slowing down. The second match of the ODI series takes place in Rajkot on Wednesday. The venue, just like Vadodara, is a batting paradise and Kohli will consider himself unlucky if he misses out.
Test for India and opportunity for Kiwis
Both teams are viewing the series differently. For India, it is serious business as they have one eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup and need to test their combinations whenever they get a chance since ODIs are now few and far between.
The Kiwis, though, are handing out caps to up-and-coming players during the ODIs as their main focus is on the subsequent five-match T20 series, which will serve as excellent preparation for the T20 World Cup beginning in three weeks' time.
Some of New Zealand's premier white-ball players like Mitchell Santner, Mark Chapman and Matt Henry are recovering from injuries and will be pushed straight into the T20s.
India have a settled ODI line-up. They might be tempted to bring in left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in place of Prasidh Krishna. With the injury to all-rounder Washington Sundar, they might be forced to go with a specialist batter.
