New Delhi, October 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India have recalled pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounders Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, and fast bowler Akash Deep to the 16-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill will continue as captain, with senior batter KL Rahul appointed vice-captain. Batter B. Sai Sudharsan has also returned after recovering from injury.
To accommodate the returning players, Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, off-spinner Saransh Jain, and pacers Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar have been left out of the squad.
India’s top-order options include Gill, Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Sudharsan. Rishabh Pant and Prasidh Krishna have also been selected, although their participation remains subject to final fitness clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Pant is recovering from a left-side strain sustained while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup match against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar. The injury also ruled him out of the first two red-ball matches between India A and New Zealand A.
Prasidh is recovering from a left hamstring injury sustained during an ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati. Dhruv Jurel has retained his place as the second wicketkeeping option after captaining India A on the shadow red-ball tour.
Bumrah will lead the pace attack alongside Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh and Anshul Kamboj, who returns to the Test squad after India’s 2025 tour of England.
The spin department features Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, while Nitish Reddy adds another seam-bowling option and strengthens the team’s all-round balance.
The series begins with the first Test in Wellington on November 19, followed by the second and final match in Christchurch from November 27. Both Tests are scheduled to start at 3.30 a.m. IST.
India are currently fifth in the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 standings, with a points percentage of 51.52. The team will need a strong finish in its remaining fixtures to remain in contention for the final, scheduled at The Oval from June 9 to 13.
India’s Test squad: 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 (subject to fitness), Akash Deep, B. Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
FOLLOW NOW
