India Announce Squad for New Zealand Test Series, Jasprit Bumrah Named Vice-Captain
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| India leads the World Test Championship standings and aims to secure their place in the final with strong performances in their remaining Tests series / Getty |
India has announced its squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand, retaining much of the team that faced Bangladesh in September.
The notable exclusion is veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who has not recovered in time from his ankle surgery, missing out on what will be India's last red-ball series before their highly anticipated tour of Australia later this year. Yash Dayal, who had received his maiden Test call-up for the Bangladesh series, is also absent from the squad.
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| Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed vice-captain for the upcoming Tests against New Zealand, indicating a potential leadership role in Rohit Sharma's absence. / Getty |
Jasprit Bumrah has been named vice-captain for the series, marking another leadership opportunity for the star fast bowler. With regular captain Rohit Sharma in doubt for the first Test of the Australian series, scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth, the spotlight is now firmly on Bumrah as India's vice-captain. He previously performed the role during India's home series against Sri Lanka in 2022 and on tours of South Africa and England.
India will kick off the series against New Zealand on October 16 in Bengaluru, followed by matches in Pune and Mumbai. New Zealand, meanwhile, have injury concerns of their own, with key player Kane Williamson picking up a groin injury that could impact his availability for the series.
Shami’s absence is a significant blow for India, as he last featured in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November 2023. He was expected to return to the squad during India’s ongoing home season, but his recovery has taken longer than anticipated.
Joining the squad as travelling reserves are fast bowlers Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Mayank Yadav, who recently made his T20I debut for India against Bangladesh, has been included as a reserve to bolster India's pace options.
India are currently sitting atop the World Test Championship (WTC) table with 74.24 percentage points from 11 matches. With eight Tests remaining, the team will aim to consolidate their position and secure enough points to reach the WTC final, regardless of other results.
India Test squad for the New Zealand series:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul,
Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra
Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit
Bumrah (vice-capt)
Travelling reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
The first Test begins in Bengaluru on October 16.