New Delhi: The BCCI on Friday, 16 October 2026, named the India squad for New Zealand tour matches in two formats: five One Day Internationals and two Tests in November. Shubman Gill will captain the Test team and the first three ODIs. Shreyas Iyer will lead the side in the last two ODIs. Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami has again been left out.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return for the ODI series and are available for all five games. Jasprit Bumrah is back for the Tests. The squads were released by the Men’s Selection Committee on the BCCI website and reported by The Times of India, India Today, The Statesman and others.
Table of Contents
India squad for New Zealand tour: the key points
- ODIs 1 to 3: Shubman Gill captain, Shreyas Iyer vice captain.
- ODIs 4 and 5: Shreyas Iyer captain, Ishan Kishan vice captain and wicketkeeper.
- Tests: Shubman Gill captain, KL Rahul vice captain, 16 players.
- New faces in ODIs: wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and pacer Yash Thakur get their first ODI call ups, The Times of India reported.
- Fitness watch: Rishabh Pant (Tests) and Prasidh Krishna (first three ODIs) are picked subject to fitness clearance.
- Left out: Mohammed Shami from both squads; Yashasvi Jaiswal from the ODIs.
ODI squads in full
First three ODIs: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna (subject to fitness) and Kuldeep Yadav.
Fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper and vice captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav.
Test squad in full
Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper, subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
Why two captains in one ODI series?
The answer is the calendar. The last ODI is on 15 November at Mount Maunganui, and the first Test starts in Wellington on 19 November, just four days later. The Times of India reported that KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna will play only the first three ODIs and then leave to prepare for the Tests. Gill, who leads both teams, also steps away after the third game. Zee News described the move as planned workload management and red ball preparation, not a sign of poor form.
Iyer is not in the Test squad, so handing him the last two games does not disturb Test planning. Tilak Varma, Auqib Nabi, Kumar Kushagra and Yash Thakur come in for those two matches.
Shami misses out again
Shami, now 36, was the big talking point. India Today reported that hopes of a recall had grown after Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to India’s T20I side after four years, days after Ajit Agarkar’s exit as chief selector. But the committee, now led by Pragyan Ojha, did not pick him. Shami took five wickets for Bengal against Delhi in their Ranji Trophy opener in Kalyani last week.
After that match he told reporters, as quoted by India Today: “You can see my fitness. Write it. You are watching me. What will happen if I say it? I am on the ground. I am playing. I am playing wherever I can. My job is to just keep bowling.”
Jaiswal’s ODI omission draws criticism
Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the Test squad but not in either ODI group. Former India spinner R Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, called the decision “unfair and unfortunate”, The Times of India reported. He argued that Jaiswal should have been given Gill’s spot in the last two ODIs, and pointed out that the young opener had not played international cricket for about four months. “He was a run machine,” Ashwin said.
Who is back and who is under a fitness watch
- Jasprit Bumrah: not in the ODIs but returns to lead the Test attack.
- Akash Deep: back in the Test side after a stress fracture, having played the Irani Cup and Bengal’s Ranji opener, India Today said.
- Anshul Kamboj: returns to the Test squad. He made his Test debut in Manchester in July 2025.
- Rishabh Pant: picked subject to fitness after a side strain suffered while leading Rest of India in the Irani Cup.
- Prasidh Krishna: recovering from a left hamstring strain picked up in an ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati, The Statesman reported.
- Ravindra Jadeja: left out of the ODIs but part of the Test team.
The Statesman also noted that Sarfaraz Khan, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar are not in this Test squad compared with the earlier group.
Tour schedule
India first play a five match T20I series in New Zealand from 22 October. The ODIs follow on 4 November in Auckland, 7 November in Wellington, 10 November in Hamilton, and 13 and 15 November at Mount Maunganui. All ODIs start at 7:30 AM IST, as per the BCCI. The Tests are in Wellington from 19 November and Christchurch from 27 November, both starting at 3:30 AM IST.
The Tests matter for India’s World Test Championship hopes. The Statesman reported that India are fifth in the standings with a points percentage of 51.52. For a look back at the stars who built India’s cricket story, read our piece on top cricket players and interesting facts about them. Our feature on why cricket still rules the Indian internet explains the game’s pull, and our guide to India’s next match schedule covers how fixtures are planned.
FAQ
Who is India’s captain for the New Zealand ODIs?
Shubman Gill leads the first three ODIs. Shreyas Iyer leads the fourth and fifth.
Is Mohammed Shami in the India squad for New Zealand tour?
No. He is not in the ODI squads or the Test squad.
When does the first Test start?
On 19 November 2026 in Wellington, at 3:30 AM IST.
Sources
- BCCI (bcci.tv), 16 October 2026: official ODI and Test squads, captains, fitness notes and match timings.
- The Times of India, 16 to 17 October 2026: why two captains were named; players leaving for Test preparation; maiden call ups; no recall for Shami or Bhuvneshwar in ODIs; R Ashwin on Yashasvi Jaiswal.
- India Today, 16 October 2026: Shami omission, his Ranji Trophy return and quote; selection committee led by Pragyan Ojha; Akash Deep and Pant updates.
- The Statesman, 16 October 2026: Test returns, injuries, players missing from the earlier Test group, World Test Championship standing.
- Zee News, 16 October 2026: explanation of the split ODI captaincy.
- Yahoo Sports and Outlook India, 16 October 2026: squad lists and tour schedule cross check; Kamboj debut and Prasidh scan details.