New Zealand announces squad for T20 series against India; return of Adam Milne and exclusion of Rachin Ravindra

Rishabh Pant was unable to make the Indian squad for the ODI series against West Indies, so his focus is now on the Iranian Cup. He has been entrusted to captain the Rest of India team. The first match, scheduled for October 1st in Srinagar, will be played between Rest of India and the Ranji Trophy champion from Jammu and Kashmir for the 2025-26 season.

Pant will not only lead the team but also serve as the wicketkeeper. This means that after a long break, he will take on a leadership role in a first-class match.

Sarfaraz Khan has been named the vice-captain of the Rest of India team. Additionally, fast bowler Akash Dip has been included in the 15-man squad, although his participation is contingent on his health. Akash Dip last participated in a competition in February, representing Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. Following this, he struggled with a lower back injury, which prevented him from playing the entire IPL 2026 season and also caused his absence from matches for India.

The Iranian Cup could offer an opportunity for his return to competitive cricket, but he must first undergo a medical examination.

Selectors have also included players who demonstrated outstanding performances in last season's Ranji tournament. Four batsmen who scored the most runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy have been selected for the Rest of India. Aash Rasmaran scored 950 runs, Ayush Dosija scored 949, Sannat Sangwan scored 828, and Sudip Kumar Garami scored 797.

These four have secured spots in the 15-man squad. Batsman Shikhar Mohan from Jharkhand is also part of the team; he scored the most runs for Jharkhand in the previous Ranji season. Furthermore, he played innings of 85 and 52 runs in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy final.

Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary will handle the batting line for Rest of India. Manav Sutar and Saransh Jain will be the primary options in the spin department. Anukul Roy has also joined the team, having made significant contributions to both batting and bowling in East Zone's victory in the Duleep Trophy.

Manav Sutar's recent performance has been impressive: he took 23 wickets in his first three Test matches, including one match with 10 wickets. He also scored 79 runs across four innings in batting. Saransh Jain debuted in international cricket in the second match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he took three wickets. His domestic cricket statistics are also strong: Jain took only 51 wickets over two Ranji seasons. He was also recently part of the Central Zone team in the Duleep Trophy.

Who will be the backup wicketkeeper alongside Pant?

Aryan Jual has been included in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper for Pant. This match is particularly important for Pant, as after missing the ODI series against West Indies, he will attempt to regain his form with red balls. Captaining the Rest of India team is also an added responsibility for him. The team includes several players who performed well in recent domestic tournaments.

The Iranian Cup is traditionally viewed as an important fixture before the start of the new Ranji season. After this match, the new Ranji Trophy season will commence on October 11th.

Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (Captain, Wicketkeeper), Sannat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Garami, Sarfaraz Khan (Vice-Captain), Aash Rasmaran, Manav Sutar, Saransh Jain, Akash Dip*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Jual (Wicketkeeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Dosija. *Akash Dip's selection will be based on his health condition.

Significant changes have been made to the Indian squad participating in the 2026 Asian Games. The men's selection committee has formed a team of 15 players, which includes the young batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Meanwhile, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya could not make this list.

Shreyas Iyer will lead the team, and Tilak Verma has been appointed as vice-captain. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will take charge of the wicket-keeping positions.

For Vaibhav Suryavanshi, this is another big opportunity as he is included in the 15-man squad for the Asian Games. Furthermore, he has been selected to participate in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Thus, the selectors continue to show confidence in the young Vaibhav by giving him a chance to demonstrate his skills in a major international cricket tournament at the Asian Games.

Hardik Pandya's name is absent from the squad selected for the Asian Games. Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, and Washington Sundar have been included as all-rounders. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Yash Thakur will head the bowling unit. Additionally, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi will strengthen the spin department.

The selection committee also provided an important update regarding Harshit Rana. Although Harshit Rana successfully recovered during rehabilitation, he sustained a rectus femoris strain while bowling during the September 7 training match. Due to this injury, he has been excluded from both the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Asian Games. His place was taken by fast bowler Yash Thakur from Vidwarha.

27-year-old Yash Thakur recently debuted in T20I during India's tour in Zimbabwe. He played two matches and took four wickets. His home T20 statistics are also impressive: he took 114 wickets in 76 T20 matches at an average pace of 8.20. Now Yash faces two major opportunities: he will be part of the Indian team in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, and then he will be available for the Asian Games.

The squad for the series against Afghanistan has also changed. The updated squad for the three T20I matches against Afghanistan consists of 15 players. Shreyas Iyer is the captain, and Tilak Verma is the vice-captain. The team includes Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Yash Thakur.

The squad for the Asian Games also selected 15 players, including Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yash Thakur. The Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games includes Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Yash Thakur.

In a statement released by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, information was provided about Harshit Rana's injury and the inclusion of Yash Thakur as his replacement.

It should be noted that the Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, where the Indian team will play in the quarterfinals on September 28. The T20 series against Afghanistan starts on September 13; the other two matches are scheduled for September 15 and 17. All matches of the series against Afghanistan will be held at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.