The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally announced the ODI squad of the India National Cricket Team for the upcoming series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team on Saturday, January 3.
Ajit Agarkar & Co. met in Mumbai for the selection meeting and took some bold decisions while naming the India ODI squad for the three-match series against the Kiwis.
India vs New Zealand ODI series schedule
The New Zealand tour of India 2026 consists of a three-match T20I series and a five-match ODI series. India and New Zealand will start the series with 50-over matches and end it with the 20-over games, which will help them prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026.
The BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara, will host the ODI series opener on Sunday, January 11, and the second 50-over game will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri, Rajkot, on Wednesday, January 14.
Meanwhile, the ODI series will conclude with the match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18.
This will be the first ODI series between the Men in Blue and the Kiwis since 2023 when the hosts beat the BlackCaps by 12 runs, 8 wickets and 90 runs across Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore to register a 3-0 whitewash.
Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant’s fate sealed as ODI squad announced
Shubman Gill has achieved full fitness and has been named as India’s captain for the ODI series against the Kiwis. His deputy, Shreyas Iyer, is also only a path to recovery and has been named in the line-up, but his availability is subject to fitness.
Iyer’s inclusion in the squad meant that Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed a century in his last ODI, had to be dropped, while Yashasvi Jaiswal has retained his place.
Rishabh Pant has also been retained despite heavy rumours about his ODI axing, and there is no place in the squad for the likes of Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been given a rest from the ODI series to manage his workload, and a similar case is with Jasprit Bumrah. A major name missing from the squad is Mohammed Shami, who has once again been snubbed despite his sensational performances in domestic cricket.
“Note: *Shreyas Iyer’s availability is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.
“Hardik Pandya has not been cleared by the BCCI COE to bowl 10 overs in a match, and considering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to follow, his workload is being managed,” BCCI stated.
India’s ODI squad vs NZ:
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
