India has announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand. The squad remains unchanged from the one that was named for the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh. This means that Mohammed Shami will not be making his return to the Indian cricket team after being sidelined due to injury for nearly a year.
Shami has been out of action since the 2023 ODI World Cup due to an ankle injury, despite finishing the tournament as the leading wicket-taker. India will be hoping for his return ahead of the five-match Test series in Australia starting on November 22.
Jasprit Bumrah has been named as Rohit Sharma’s chief deputy for the upcoming series. Bumrah was the joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Ravichandran Ashwin in the series against Bangladesh, with 11 scalps in two matches. Bumrah also captained the team in a one-off Test match against England in 2022.
The upcoming series between India and New Zealand will be the first time the two teams have faced each other in the longest format since late 2021. In their last encounter, India emerged victorious with a 1-0 win in a two-match series, during which Ajaz Patel claimed only the third 10-wicket haul in a single innings after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble.
While India currently sits at the top of the World Test Championship points table and is in good form, New Zealand, the first-ever WTC champions, suffered a 2-0 defeat away from home against Sri Lanka last month.
India squad for the NZ Test series: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep
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