India Test squad announced for New Zealand series with official vice-captain

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-member Indian men’s squad for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand.

The three-match India vs New Zealand Test series will be a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship, where India are leading in the points table and the inaugural edition champions New Zealand are in the sixth position. 

Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai will host Test matches

The Test series will start in Bengaluru on October 16. Pune and Wankhede Stadium will host the second and third Tests of the series from October 24 and November 1, respectively. 

SEE ALSO: Kane Williamson likely to miss the start of India Test series

Jasprit Bumrah is the new vice-captain

Talking about the 15-member Test squad, the right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah will play the vice-captain role of the Indian team. While Rohit Sharma is leading the team, there was no official Test vice-captain before the upcoming New Zealand Test series. 

No hurry with Mohammed Shami 

The 34-year-old right-arm pacer Mohammed Shami isn’t available for the New Zealand series. It has raised significant doubt about Shami’s presence for the upcoming Australia tour, where India will play a five-match Test series. He hasn't played competitive matches since the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final.  

The 26-year-old left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has missed out on the Test squad for the New Zealand series. He recently earned his maiden Test call-up during the home Test series against Bangladesh. However, he hasn't made his international cricket debut yet. 

Apart from the 15-member squad, the men’s selection committee has also named four traveling reserves for the upcoming home Test series. 

The 15-member Indian squad for the home Test series against New Zealand

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Traveling reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna