The BCCI has announced the 15-man squad for the upcoming home ODI series against New Zealand. While witnessing the last phase of the glittering ODI careers of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remains a priority for the fans, this series is set to mark the return of the captain and—potentially—vice-captain of the ODI team.
Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer both missed the ODI series last month against South Africa, which India won 2-1 under the captaincy of KL Rahul.
Apart from these two, Mohammed Siraj is also making his return to the ODI setup after being left out (or rested?) from the South Africa series.
These three replaced Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Dhruv Jurel in the squad. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been rested, keeping in mind his workload for the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis and the following ICC T20 World Cup.
The surprise omission from India’s squad for the India vs New Zealand ODI series is that of Gaikwad, despite the right-hander striking a century against South Africa.
IND vs NZ: Why is Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped for India vs New Zealand ODI series?
Ruturaj Gaikwad is excluded from India’s squad to face New Zealand in the ODI series due to the return of Shreyas Iyer, who is the vice-captain of the ODI team and the incumbent No. 4. Iyer has been out of action since suffering a spleen injury in October in Sydney, including missing last month’s home ODI series against South Africa.
Gaikwad had hit a century against the Proteas in the second ODI in Raipur, a splendid knock of 105 runs off 83 balls, which consisted of 12 fours and two sixes. He made that hundred while batting at No. 4.
Iyer’s return meant that Gaikwad wasn’t required in the squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who whacked a ton in the third ODI against the Proteas in Vizag, is retained as the backup opener while Gill makes his return from a neck injury.
Instead, Gaikwad will continue to play in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament, in which he’s already smashed a fifty and a hundred in his last two knocks.
However, the BCCI stated that Iyer’s participation in the India vs New Zealand ODI series is subject to getting fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. If Iyer is not declared completely fit, then Gaikwad will most likely be added to the squad.
IND vs NZ: India squad for ODI series against New Zealand
Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer (vc)*, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal (*Iyer is subject to fitness clearance).
India vs New Zealand: When and where is the 1st ODI?
The IND vs NZ ODI series will begin on January 11, with the 1st ODI being hosted in Vadodara.
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