Shreyas Iyer in action. (FILE photo)
The return of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer headlined India’s squad for the three ODIs against New Zealand. Having missed the previous series against South Africa with injuries, the duo have taken back their spots which meant there was no place for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored a century batting at No 4. Similarly, with Rishabh Pant already in the mix, Dhruv Jurel has been dropped. Also making a comeback to the ODI mix is pacer Mohammed Siraj in place of back-up batsman Tilak Varma.
Hardik Pandya – who hit 6,6,6,6,6,4 while moving to 100 from 66 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture for Baroda against Vidarbha on Saturday – has been left out due to workload management. “He 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,” the BCCI said in the statement. It further added that Shreyas’ availability is also subject to fitness clearance. The middle-order batsman is scheduled to play for Mumbai in the next two rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Ahead of the selection committee meeting on Saturday, there was plenty to ponder for selectors. Apart from the likes of Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan, who were making a strong case for their inclusion in the squad, there were also talks of Ishan Kishan making the ODI cut. Having made the T20 World Cup squad recently, given his form, Ishan had an outside chance, but The Indian Express understands that the selectors were unanimous when it comes to continuing with Pant, who has been waiting in the wings for over a year.
Shubman Gill (C) of India during the 2nd ODI match between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia, on October 23, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)
Moreover, including Ishan would have meant there is no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal as the backup opener. In the ODI scheme of things, India have been slotting the wicketkeeper in the lower middle-order with KL Rahul slotting in at No 5 or 6 depending on the conditions and opposition. The selectors see Pant as a like-for-like replacement for Rahul. Moreover, given this team is heavily loaded with right-handed batsmen, Pant could come in as a specialist batsman at some point too.
The decision to continue with Pant should come as no surprise. Had they gone with Ishan, it would have left them with way too many options at the top. And by retaining Pant, the selectors and the team management have put their faith in a player who is struggling to find his feet in the shorter formats. With India not having any ODI series immediately after the conclusion of New Zealand series – their next is in England in July – it is understood that the selectors felt there was no need for any major changes.
With regards to Padikkal and Gaikwad, it is learnt that with the rest of the players being automatic picks and no opening anywhere in the line-up, they have been made to wait. While there is scrutiny around Nitish Kumar Reddy’s selection, he remains part of the bigger picture. Given Pandya is still not fit to bowl 10 overs, the team management wants to groom the all-rounder. But whether he gets the opportunity in the XI remains to be seen as he warmed the bench in the series against South Africa.
Mohammed Siraj of India celebrates the wicket of Travis Head of Australia during the 3rd ODI match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia, on October 25, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)
The notable exclusion from the squad is all-rounder Axar Patel. Having missed the last two T20Is against South Africa with illness, Axar was expected to take his spot back. Instead, he will have to wait until the T20Is, as Ravindra Jadeja has been chosen. With Washington Sundar as the other all-round option, the selectors have been clear off-late that only one among Jadeja or Axar gets a spot.
Siraj, who hasn’t featured in white-ball fixtures since the tour of Australia, will lead the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. For the series against South Africa, both the senior pacers were rested, with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna picked as the seam bowling options. However, barring the left-arm seamer, the rest struggled on flat decks where dew was a constant presence. Having Siraj gives a bit of cushion in the pace department.
The return of Siraj means the door remains shut on Mohammed Shami. The seamer has been featuring in the domestic circuit and has been amongst the wickets, and hasn’t shown no signs of fitness struggle. However, with age not on his side and the team management looking at Harshit Rana as a long-term prospect, there seems to be no way back for the veteran.
India’s series against New Zealand begins in Vadodara on January 11. Rajkot (Jan 14) and Indore (Jan 18) will host the remaining two matches before the five-match T20I series.
India’s ODI squad: 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.
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