SportsCricket
Gill to lead first three ODIs in New Zealand, Iyer the last two; no Bumrah or Jadeja
The selectors named two one-day squads and a Test squad for the New Zealand tour on Friday. Shubman Gill will leave the ODI series early to prepare for the Tests, and Shreyas Iyer takes over in Mount Maunganui.
Key points
- Shubman Gill captains the first three ODIs, then hands over to Shreyas Iyer for the last two.
- Jasprit Bumrah is not in either ODI squad but is in the Test squad.
- Ravindra Jadeja is left out of the one-day side after playing the home series against West Indies.
Shubman Gill will captain India in the first three one-day internationals in New Zealand next month and then step away to prepare for the Test series, with Shreyas Iyer taking charge for the last two matches. The selectors named two separate ODI squads and a Test squad for the tour on Friday.
The biggest absentees from the one-day side are Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Bumrah is in neither ODI squad but is in the Test squad. Jadeja, who played in India’s recent home ODI series against West Indies, misses out on the one-day team and is picked only for the Tests. No reason was given for either decision.
Two squads for one series
Iyer is Gill’s vice-captain for the first three matches, in Auckland on 4 November, Wellington on 7 November and Hamilton on 10 November. He then leads a reshaped group in Mount Maunganui on 13 and 15 November, with Ishan Kishan as his deputy. All five games are scheduled to start at 7:30 am IST.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in both squads, as are Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Prasidh Krishna’s place for the first three games depends on a fitness clearance. For the last two, Tilak Varma, Auqib Nabi, Kumar Kushagra and Yash Thakur come in, while Gill, KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh drop out.
ODIs 1 to 3: 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), Kuldeep Yadav.
ODIs 4 and 5: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper, vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
The Test squad
Gill also leads the Test side, with KL Rahul as vice-captain. Rishabh Pant is named subject to fitness, with Dhruv Jurel as the second wicketkeeper. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who misses Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy game because he is set to join India A in New Zealand, is in the squad.
Tests: 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, Mohammed Siraj.
Before any of that, India play five T20Is in New Zealand from 22 October in Christchurch, and they first have to finish the home series against West Indies, which is level at 2-2 going into Saturday’s decider in Bengaluru.