The India squad for NZ ODIs, slated to begin from January 11, was announced earlier today by the BCCI. Notably, this will be the Men in Blue’s first series in the new year.
There were a few notable decisions that were taken that saw the return of key players like ODI captain and vice captain, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer respectively while talismanic all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pacer Jasprit Bumrah were rested. Veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also continue to be in ODI plans.
The ODI series will be crucial as India prepares for the 2027 ODI World Cup, after narrowly missing the opportunity to lift the trophy last time around.
On that note, let’s take a look at the key pointers from the recent India squad for NZ ODIs.
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal
India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad was unfortunately axed for the New Zealand series, despite scoring a century in the Proteas series after a phenomenal run in domestic circuit. It can be reasoned that Shreyas Iyer’s return back to the setup after his spleen injury during the Australia series meant that Ruturaj had to be sacrificed for the No.4 position. It was still a tough call for Ruturaj to digest, since Shreyas’s availability is subject to clearance from the CoE.
ALSO READ:
Star players Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah were big names missing from the Indian roster after both players were rested to manage their workload. With the T20 World Cup 2026 lined up next in February, it is of utmost importance to protect India’s two biggest match-winners. Furthermore, Hardik Pandya did not also get clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) to bowl all 10 overs in ODIs.
In a good news, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj made a comeback to the ODI setup after being dropped from the recent South Africa series. Now, with India looking to consolidate the ODI side with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup, Siraj have a chance to put himself as a serious contender when the ICC event arrives.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
