The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand as part of preparations for the 2027 One Day International World Cup. Separate squads were formed for the first three and the last two matches on Friday.
This decision raised questions regarding the prospects of Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal participating in the World Cup. The most unexpected aspect was the absence of Ravindra Jadeja in the first three matches. The experienced all-rounder has been struggling with form in recent months, and instead, left-handed all-rounder Axar Patel was selected, who played in the last match against England in July and now has a chance to strengthen his position in the team.
Ravindra Jadeja was not included in any of the squads, which naturally casts doubt on his chances of participating in the 2027 World Cup, although this does not mean he is completely excluded from the tournament's plans.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was also not selected in any of the squads against New Zealand. BCCI did not provide an official reason for his exclusion. Although Shubman Gill will leave the team after the first two matches to prepare for the Test series with Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi could have gotten a chance to play in the top order alongside Rohit Sharma, but this did not happen.
Furthermore, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was dropped from the squad, making way for Ishan Kishan. Jurel was unable to play in the first four matches against West Indies. In addition to Ishan, Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh returned to the team after being absent in the series against West Indies due to the 2026 Asian Games.
The reason for the changes in the squad for the series against New Zealand is also related to preparation for the Test series. The two-match Test series will begin just four days after the conclusion of the ODI matches. Therefore, two different squads were created to give regular players time to prepare.
Fast bowler Aujail Nabbi, who played in the first match against West Indies in Guwahati, was excluded from the first three matches because he missed 84 balls without taking a wicket. He was replaced by Anshul Kamboj. However, the situation will change for the last two matches: Kamboj will leave the team to prepare for the Tests, and Aujail will not return.
After the first three matches, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj, and Prasidh Krishna will leave the team to prepare for the Test series. For the fourth and fifth matches, Tilak Verma, Aujail Nabbi, Kumar Kushagra, and Yash Thakur will join the team. Kumar Kushagra and Yash Thakur may debut in ODI cricket.
The Indian team squad for the first three matches includes: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dihr, Anshul Kamboj, Guruonur Barad, Rituraj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Yadav.
The Indian team squad for the last two matches includes: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Verma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper, vice-captain), Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dihr, Aujail Nabbi, Guruonur Barar, Rituraj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, and Kuldeep Yadav.