- Shubman Gill returns as ODI captain after missing the South Africa series
- Shreyas Iyer named vice-captain subject to fitness clearance
- Mohammed Siraj recalled; Hardik Pandya rested ahead of T20 World Cup
Shubman Gill will lead India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand, marking his return to the format after recovering from a neck injury that kept him out of the South Africa tour. Senior stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja also return as India look to fine-tune their plans ahead of next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is also back in the ODI squad, although his participation remains subject to final fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence following his recovery from a spleen injury. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj strengthens the pace unit as he makes his first ODI appearance since October 2025.
The trio of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma and Dhruv Jurel drop out from the squad that beat South Africa 2-1, with none of them featuring heavily in that series. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been rested as medical staff continue to manage his workload, with the allrounder yet to be cleared to bowl a full 10-over quota in ODIs.
Alongside Gill and Iyer, India’s batting core features Rohit, Kohli and rising opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, while KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant provide dual wicketkeeping options. Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy form the all-round department, with Kuldeep Yadav leading the spin attack. Siraj joins Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in a youthful yet dynamic pace group.
The ODI series begins on January 11 in Vadodara, followed by matches in Rajkot on January 14 and Indore on January 18, a key stretch as India continue building rhythm and depth ahead of the global tournament starting February 7.
India’s ODI squad v New Zealand: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer* (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
*subject to fitness clearance
India’s ODI fixtures against New Zealand:
- First ODI: January 11, Vadodara
- Second ODI: January 14, Rajkot
- Third ODI: January 18, Indore
