Mumbai, Jan 3 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with Shubman Gill set to lead the side. Shreyas Iyer, who had been on the sidelines owing to an injury, has been named in the squad, but his participation will be subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Moreover, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who scored a brilliant century for Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Saturday against Vidarbha, has been rested to manage his workload as he prepares for the T20 World Cup.
“Shreyas Iyer’s availability is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE. Hardik Pandya has not been cleared by the BCCI COE to bowl 10 overs in a match, and considering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to follow, his workload is being managed,” the BCCI said in their statement.
Iyer will arrive in Jaipur on Sunday and will participate in Mumbai's upcoming two Vijay Hazare Trophy games. Having finished the final stage of his rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and received clearance to return to competitive cricket, he is set to play Mumbai’s last two league matches against Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on January 6 and 8, respectively.
Another notable absentee is pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who will only play the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis, followed by the T20 World Cup. In Bumrah's absence, the pace bowling unit will be led by Siraj with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna as other options.
While Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel have been putting up impressive and consistent performances in the domestic setup for their state teams, they have missed their selection for the New Zealand series.
Notably, stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retained their places in the side and will be hoping to continue their tremendous run of form in the 50-over format. The duo recently represented their state teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and notched up magnificent centuries and half-centuries, putting up a strong case for their selection.
India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal
India vs New Zealand ODI Series Schedule
1st ODI: January 11 – Vadodara
2nd ODI: January 14 – Rajkot
3rd ODI: January 18 – Indore
--IANS
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