# Rohit, Kohli start training for New Zealand ODI series 2026-10-25T12:56:15+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have begun their preparations for India's five-match ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled from 4 November to 15 November 2026. Videos of both star batters training in Mumbai have gone viral on social media. Kohli was spotted at Brabourne Stadium, where he spent nearly two hours batting in the nets. Freepressjournal.in reported he practised shots and worked on his batting, while Indiatoday.in noted he faced fast bowlers and spinners on a red-soil pitch, driving through the covers and playing defensive shots off the back foot. Indiatoday.in added that Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 in his last ODI against West Indies in September, crossing 15,000 ODI runs. Rohit trained at the MCA ground in BKC and also met members of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team in their dressing room ahead of their clash against Haryana, which begins on Monday, 26 October 2026. The ODI series opens in Auckland, followed by matches in Wellington, Hamilton and Mount Maunganui. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources offer neutral reporting on Kohli and Rohit's training, with no government or political slant. Indiatoday.in provides more detail on Kohli's net session, pitch type, bowling faced and shot selection, and adds his recent ODI stats and World Cup context. Freepressjournal.in covers both players equally and includes Rohit's visit to the Ranji team. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, the only difference is depth. India's T20I series against New Zealand is already underway with a 2-0 lead, and the ODI leg follows from 4 November. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - freepressjournal.in (neutral report) Straight news report on both players' training - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Detailed neutral report on Kohli's net session This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Brabourne Stadium, India cricket team, New Zealand cricket team, ODI series, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rohit-kohli-start-training-for-new-zealand-odi-series/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rohit-kohli-start-training-for-new-zealand-odi-series/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/