New Delhi : Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in the Indian team after a long gap of four years.
Bhuvneshwar last played for India in the T20I series in New Zealand in November 2022.
Varun Chakravarthy also makes a comeback to the Indian T20I team after missing the Asian Games because of an injury.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the surprise inclusion in the Indian team for the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand starting later this month.
Bhuvneshwar, 36, is back in the Indian team after a long gap of four years. Interestingly, he last played for India in the T20I series in New Zealand in November 2022. He has been a consistent performer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, playing a vital role in their back to back title triumphs in IPL 2025 and 2026.
Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the T20I series to manage his workload and keep him fresh for the two-Test series in New Zealand.
Pragyan Ojha chaired his first meeting as the interim chairman of selectors following the exit of previous chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Experienced spinner Varun Chakravarthy made a comeback to the Indian T20I team after he missed the
Asian Games because of an injury.
India will play five T20Is in New Zealand from October 22 to November 1 in New Zealand, with the first two games to be played in Christchurch, followed by matches at Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.
The two teams will then play a five-match ODI series and two-Test series.
India’s T20I squad for New Zealand series: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w/k), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (w/k), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
Dhruv Jurel To Lead India A
The Indian selectors also picked a 15-member India A squad captained by Dhruv Jurel for three four-day games in New Zealand.
The India A squad includes all Test regulars to give them a chance to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the two-Test series.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's availability is subject to getting a fitness clearance. The likes of K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar will be looking to get some much-needed match practice ahead of the Tests.
India A squad: Dhruv Jurel (captain, w/k), Yashasvi Jaiswal, K L Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (w/k), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudarsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.
