The opening Test between India and New Zealand will be played on October 16 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has continued its tradition of releasing crucial updates late at night as they have just announced the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. The 15-member squad sees no major change from the two Tests against Bangladesh. However, Jasprit Bumrah’s appointment as the vice-captain is the most noticeable factor.
Jasprit Bumrah to deputy Rohit Sharma
It was only yesterday when we got to know that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma could miss a Test during the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) later this year. However, that raised a question of who would lead Team India in case of Rohit’s absence. The BCCI has, however, clearly announced the appointment of Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian vice-captain.
Bumrah, who has already led India in Tests, is now all but confirmed to skipper the nation again in case of Rohit’s absence. Undoubtedly the best bowler in the world currently, Bumrah has that cricketing acumen and is a deserving vice-captain appointment, nonetheless.
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No Shami, no Dayal
As India gears up to face the Kiwi challenge, the absence of seasoned pacer Mohammed Shami continues to be a glaring omission from the squad. The 33-year-old has been a cornerstone of the Indian bowling attack for years and has been sidelined due to injury since the Men’s World Cup final against Australia in November 2023. While there were huge rumours of Shami returning for the Tests against New Zealand, he is yet to be recovered fully. Who knows we might see him in the T20Is against South Africa in November just to get into the ‘match mode’ before the all-important Australian tour.
However, Yash Dayal has also been sidelined. The left-arm pacer got his maiden call-up only in the recent Bangladesh series. Sadly for him, he is not even part of the travelling reserves now. Instead, the management is looking at other pacers as the likes of Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna, who have been selected as reserves. Apart from this, new pace-bowling sensation, Nitish Kumar Reddy will also remain with the team, as India eye to make him a probable for the challenge Down Under.
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep
Travelling Reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna
IND vs NZ Test series schedule
| Date | Match Details | Time(IST) | Venue |
| October 16-20 | IND vs NZ, 1st Test | 9:30 AM | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| October 24-28 | IND vs NZ, 2nd Test | 9:30 AM | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium |
| November 1-5 | IND vs NZ, 3rd Test | 9:30 AM | Wankhede Stadium |
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