The frenzy surrounding Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Indian cricket needs no separate explanation. The two stars will now play a handful of matches. Excluding the IPL, they won't feature in too many matches wearing the country's jersey. As a result, supporters are ready to make the most of whatever matches they can watch them in. This was proven when tickets for the first ODI against New Zealand sold out in just a few minutes.
The New Zealand series begins on January 11, with the first match in Baroda. After three ODIs, five T20s will be played. Ticket sales for the first match of the series started on January 1. On the BookMyShow platform, tickets sold out exactly eight minutes after sales began. However, those who didn't get tickets need not worry. While online tickets are sold out, offline tickets are still available, and sales for those will begin.
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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20 cricket in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025. They are only playing ODIs now. That's why there are crowds to see them in the limited matches. The same scene was witnessed in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While spectators weren't allowed entry for Virat's match, crowds were seen watching Rohit.
The squad for the ODI series against New Zealand will be announced on January 3. India loses the series against Australia towards the end of 2025. After that, Team India wins the series against South Africa.
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Schedule for the series against South Africa
First ODI - January 11 (Baroda)
Second ODI - January 14 (Rajkot)
Third ODI - January 18 (Indore)
First T20 - January 21 (Nagpur)
Second T20 - January 23 (Raipur)
Third T20 - January 25 (Guwahati)
Fourth T20 - January 28 (Visakhapatnam)
Fifth T20 - January 31 (Thiruvananthapuram)
