Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant have been named in India’s squad for the upcoming two-match Test series in New Zealand. However, Pant’s participation is pending a fitness test.
Bumrah will sit out the ODI series but will spearhead India’s bowling attack in the Tests, starting with the match in Wellington on 19th November. It will mark his first Test appearance since November 2025. The Indian selectors, alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir, have opted to manage Bumrah’s workload carefully. This strategy aims to have him in peak condition for the significant Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa.
Bumrah, fresh from a gold-medal performance at the Asian Games in Japan, is currently training in Ahmedabad. Plans are in place for him to proceed to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for additional fitness work ahead of the New Zealand tour.
Pant, recovering from a side strain suffered during the Irani Cup, has been ruled out of the first two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. He is eyeing a return for the third unofficial Test from 7th to 10th November in Lincoln, with potential Test squad players Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Anshul Kamboj also set to participate.
Prasidh Krishna’s inclusion in the Test squad is subject to fitness clearance for the preceding ODI series. Recent scans showed only a strain in his left hamstring and not a tear. He has been focusing on strength and conditioning and is slated for the initial three ODIs.
Akash Deep makes his return to the Test team, having demonstrated his capabilities in the Irani Cup and Ranji Trophy. Anshul Kamboj, first seen in Manchester in July 2025, also rejoins the squad. The squad is further bolstered by Mohammed Siraj and seam-bowler Nitish Kumar Reddy.
There is no place for Manav Suthar, despite his stellar performance in Sri Lanka. Instead, India opts for spin-bowling allrounders Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav. B Sai Sudharsan returns as a backup batter following his recovery from a toe injury that sidelined him during the Sri Lanka series.
In the ODI format, Shubman Gill will lead India for the first three matches, with Shreyas Iyer stepping in for the last two. Kamboj is included in the initial ODI fixtures.
India Test Squad: Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
India Squad for First Three ODIs: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.
India Squad for Fourth and Fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
