Team India arrived at Vadodara International Cricket Stadium to begin training for the first ODI against New Zealand; however, he would not attend training because senior opener Rohit Sharma would not be in attendance. His absence immediately became a topic of conversation with fans and supporters closely following the preparation stage for what is expected to be a critical ODI series for Team India.

Rohit was last seen at the ‘United By Triumph’ event hosted by Reliance Foundation in Mumbai, where he celebrated India’s WCC captains. At this event, Rohit shared the limelight along with Harmanpreet Kaur, and Indian Blind Women’s Team Captain Deepika TC, a demonstration of a celebration of the many accomplishments through leadership and success in multiple formats and categories of all those who have accomplished much representing Indian Elite Cricketers on the World Stage now faces additional challenges in developing the next crop of elite performers while facing international exposure.

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Photos released by BCCI show many of the Indian players training hard in the nets, including captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir. Along with Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant were not present for the session. Both players participated in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, playing for Saurashtra and Delhi respectively; this was probably the reason they were absent from the first practice.

Photos issued by BCCI

New year, fresh start 💪

📸 Glimpses from #TeamIndia's first training session in Vadodara ahead of the #INDvNZ ODIs 👌@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/itTwA5fKDF

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 9, 2026

Our captain is sitting here: Jay Shah

An endearing moment during the Mumbai event has also become a sensation, with Jay Shah being one of many that called Rohit Sharma "India's captain" on stage with Nita Ambani, even though the veteran has since given up that role. This was said as a comment regarding India's World Cup wins in men's cricket and brought a smile to Rohit's face. In terms of cricket, the upcoming ODI Series vs. New Zealand will be India's first international series of 2026, starting on 11 January at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi.

"Our captain is sitting here. I will call him captain only, as he has led the team to two ICC trophies. During the 2023 World Cup, after winning ten successive matches, we could only win hearts but could not lift the trophy," Shah said while speaking at the United in Triumph event.