The five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand is scheduled to commence on January 21. India have made quite a few changes to their squad from the previous series vs South Africa. Here’s the complete list of changes to India’s T20I squad for New Zealand series.
After a highly competitive ODI series, India and New Zealand will lock horns in the five-match T20I series, starting from January 21. This is the last series for both teams before the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to get underway on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. Both teams have announced, more or less, a similar squad for this series and the World Cup.
Meanwhile, India made significant changes to their plans when it comes to T20Is and injuries to key players in the last couple of weeks, have forced the men in blue to make more changes. Here we bring you the complete list of changes to India’s squad for New Zealand series:
India’s T20I squad for New Zealand series:ย ย Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Tilak Varma (only for last two T20Is)
Here’s a look at all the changes in India’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series
IN:
Shreyas Iyer has made his comeback to the T20I squad for the first time since December 2023. He was the late inclusion in the squad as a replacement for Tilak Varma, who is recovering from ‘testicular torsion’ surgery he underwent earlier this month. For now, Tilak has been ruled out of the first three T20Is only but Iyer has also been picked only for the same period. Other notable inclusions in the side are Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, and Ravi Bishnoi.
Rinku was dropped for the series against South Africa but has returned for the New Zealand series and subsequently for the World Cup. Kishan, too, is making a comeback to the shortest format for the first time since November 2023 while Bishnoi has also been picked after almost a year, having last played during the home series against England in February 2025.
OUT:
Shubman Gill has been dropped for this series and the T20 World Cup despite being the vice-captain until the previous series against South Africa. Apart from him, Washington Sundar has been ruled out due to injury while Shahbaz Ahmed and Jitesh Sharma have been dropped. Jitesh lost the battle to Kishan as the management preferred a top-order wicketkeeper-batter in the squad.
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