India will take on New Zealand in a three-match ODI series later this month, with the first game scheduled in Vadodara on January 11. The BCCI has announced the squad for the series, with Shubman Gill making a comeback as captain and Shreyas Iyer named vice-captain. Both Gill and Iyer return after recovering from injuries that had ruled them out of India’s recent series against South Africa.
India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
With fierce competition in ODIs, these 3 players narrowly missed out on India’s New Zealand squad:
#1 Axar Patel
What explains Axar Patel’s absence from India’s last two ODI squads? He delivered a solid performance in Australia, yet Ravindra Jadeja was selected for the tours against South Africa and New Zealand. While Jadeja’s batting form has declined, Axar has steadily progressed.
Over the past year, his bowling has been consistently strong, and he has improved his batting, particularly against fast bowlers. With India needing a batting all-rounder who can slot into the top seven, Axar clearly merits consideration and has been unfortunate to miss out.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Not long ago, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his first ODI century. In a fluent innings against South Africa, the elegant right-hander produced a standout performance, even keeping pace with Virat Kohli at the other end. Despite this, Shreyas Iyer’s return has meant Gaikwad has been left out.
While it’s understandable, given Shreyas’ importance to the team, Gaikwad will no doubt be disappointed to miss a series coming so soon after his landmark innings. With competition for ODI spots extremely tough, he will need to continue making a strong case for selection.
#3 Dhruv Jurel
Rishabh Pant has been chosen as KL Rahul’s backup wicketkeeper for India’s ODI series against New Zealand. The left-hander has struggled for form in domestic cricket for Delhi, whereas Dhruv Jurel has been scoring consistently. Pant still has noticeable weaknesses in white-ball cricket and has seen limited action since his serious accident.
Although the selectors appear keen to give him an opportunity to prove himself, the timing may not be ideal. The dynamic southpaw has several areas to improve in limited-overs cricket, while Jurel presents a more well-rounded option with greater long-term potential.
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