Bumrah, Akash Deep return as India name 16-man Test squad for New Zealand tour
India's selectors have recalled Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep for the two Tests in New Zealand starting 19 November, with Shubman Gill as captain.
Pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep are back in India’s Test squad for the two-match series in New Zealand next month. The selectors named a 16-member group on Friday, 16 October, with Shubman Gill continuing as captain and KL Rahul as his deputy.
Squad and schedule
The two Tests close out a long tour that also includes five T20Is and five ODIs. According to Khel Now, the opening Test starts in Wellington on 19 November and the second begins in Christchurch on 27 November.
- Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan
- Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper, subject to fitness clearance), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper)
- Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav
- Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj
Pant’s place depends on him being cleared as fit, PTI reported via ThePrint.
Bumrah limited to red-ball games
Bumrah will feature only in the Test leg of the trip, with his workload being managed ahead of a five-Test home series against Australia early next year, ThePrint reported.
Akash Deep earns his recall after recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back. His most recent Test outing came during India’s tour of England in 2025. Anshul Kamboj, who was left out after making his debut in Manchester on that same tour, has also returned. The team management believes the pair can be effective in New Zealand’s conditions, according to the PTI report.
Who missed out
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan did not make the Test squad despite a productive Duleep Trophy campaign, Khel Now noted. He scored 409 runs across three matches, including knocks of 270 and 80 for East Zone in the final. Kishan has played two Tests so far, the last of them in 2023. Spinner Manav Suthar and Gurnoor Brar were also not picked.
Jadeja, who was not included in the ODI squad, retains his spot in the Test group. For the one-day leg, Gill will lead in the first three matches with Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain, after which Iyer takes charge for the final two with Kishan as his deputy. Kumar Kushagra has received his first India call-up for those last two ODIs. The ODI series starts on 4 November.
Sources: ThePrint (PTI), Khel Now
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