Mohammed Shami has not been included in India’s squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which was announced a day before the final T20 match against Bangladesh. However, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Harshit Rana has been named in the reserve squad.
There are not many differences between the squad that played against Bangladesh in the Test series and the one selected for New Zealand. However, the Bangladesh series squad did not have a vice-captain, while Jasprit Bumrah has been named the vice-captain for the New Zealand series, signaling a potential future leadership role for him in Tests.
In addition to captain Rohit Sharma, the batting lineup for the New Zealand series includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan. The two wicketkeepers are Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. India has selected four spinners: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. Alongside Bumrah, the pace attack includes Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, giving India a combination of three pacers and four spinners for the series.
The surprise comes from the reserve list, which features some young players. Harshit Rana from KKR is among them, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna. Nitish and Mayank made their debuts in the T20 series against Bangladesh and impressed. Harshit is yet to make his debut but could get a chance in the final T20 on Saturday. This is great news for the Kolkata pacer as he awaits his opportunity.
India will play the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru starting on October 16, followed by the second Test in Pune from October 24, and the third in Mumbai from November 1.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
