The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors have announced the squad for the T20 International series against New Zealand, starting January 21st. However, they have not yet announced the squad for the ODI series against the Kiwis, starting January 11th. Speculation is rife that the board may announce the ODI squad in the first week of January. Before that, let’s take a look at who will return to the Indian ODI squad and which players will be left out.
A fit Shreyas Iyer can be included in the ODI team vs New Zealand
India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer are both expected to return. Both did not play in the ODI series against South Africa. Gill suffered a toe injury, but he has now recovered and has resumed batting practice. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer is currently undergoing rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. It’s unclear whether he will play in the India vs. New Zealand ODI series, but he appears to be on track for a comeback.
The return of Shreyas and Gill means two players will have to be dropped. Dhruv Jurel, who was the third wicketkeeper behind KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, will be dropped. The same applies to Tilak Varma, who was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s backup against South Africa.Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal are performing brilliantly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, there is currently no place for them.
Kishan has returned to India’s T20 International team, but will have to wait for his return to the ODI team. The wicketkeeper recently scored the second-fastest List A century by an Indian. Padikkal averages 83.64 in List A and has scored consistent centuries, but he has yet to find a place in the ODI team.
Probable India ODI squad for New Zealand:
Shubman Gill (captain), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana.