The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s squad for New Zealand for a five, match T20I series to be played from January 21 to January 31 next year. While Suryakumar Yadav will keep the captaincy, Axar Patel has been again named as the vice, captain.
One of the most significant decisions in the selection committee is the omission of Shubman Gill from the T20I set, up. Gill, who had been dropped from the vice, captaincy during the Asia Cup and was later given the role again, has only managed 291 runs in 15 innings since his comeback. Therefore, he has also been relieved of his leadership duties.
After almost two years, Ishan Kishan is the one who has been granted a return in the squad. The left, hander made the most of his opportunities in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy where he scored more than 500 runs and was instrumental in Jharkhand winning their first, ever title. The wicketkeeper, batter’s comeback is in the place of Jitesh Sharma, who has been dropped.
It is also worth mentioning that Rinku Singh is back in the squad. The middle, order batter, who missed out on selection for the recent South Africa home T20I series, has been brought back after being part of India’s title-winning Asia Cup squad earlier. Rinku famously hit the winning boundary in the final against Pakistan, underlining his reputation as a reliable finisher.
There are five changes from the squad selected for the South Africa T20Is. Apart from Gill and Jitesh Sharma being dropped, the selectors have reshuffled the leadership group and reinforced the batting depth with the returns of Kishan and Rinku.
Sanju Samson is set to return to the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma, despite having been India’s highest run-scorer in T20Is in 2024 before being replaced earlier in the year. Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube add further strength to the middle order, while the bowling attack remains formidable.
The same squad has also been named for India’s title defence at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, indicating long-term faith in the selected core group.
India’s Squad for New Zealand T20I Series:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana
With several big names returning and tough calls made, the New Zealand series will be a crucial test for India as they build towards their T20 World Cup defence.
