Bumrah Returns for New Zealand Tests as India Balance Fitness, Preparation and WTC Push

India bring back their pace spearhead for November Tests

Jasprit Bumrah will return to India's Test squad for the first time since November 2025 as Shubman Gill leads a group of 16 players to New Zealand for matches beginning on November 19 in Wellington and November 27 in Christchurch. Rishabh Pant has also been selected, but the wicketkeeper needs fitness clearance after suffering a side strain during the Irani Cup.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India's October 16 squad announcement, issued by honorary secretary Devajit Saikia, confirms recalls for fast bowlers Anshul Kamboj and Akash Deep. KL Rahul will serve as Gill's deputy, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar also return after missing India's previous Test assignment in Sri Lanka.

India are fifth in the ICC World Test Championship statistics team table, with a win percentage of 45.45. Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh and South Africa rank ahead of them. They won the opening Test in Sri Lanka and drew the second. The New Zealand matches give them another chance to improve their position before the championship final at The Oval next June.

The selection brings together three connected decisions: restoring Bumrah to the attack, giving several players returning from injuries a route back, and separating much of the Test group from the closing stages of a five match ODI series. Only Reddy, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav appear in both the Test squad and the squad for the final two ODIs.

What Bumrah adds to the attack

Bumrah returns with a bowling average of 19.79 across 52 Tests, according to the ICC squad assessment. A bowling average measures how many runs a bowler concedes for each wicket taken, so a lower number means wickets have come at a smaller cost.

His 29 wickets in the current World Test Championship cycle place him third among India's bowlers, behind Siraj with 43 and Ravindra Jadeja with 33. Siraj's tally places him third on the ICC's listed most-wickets table. Those figures give India a returning strike bowler alongside two players who have already carried a large share of the wicket taking during this campaign.

Bumrah has been left out of both ODI squads. His workload is being managed with the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year and the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. The World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November.

His most recent competitive appearance came at the Asian Games in Japan, where India won gold. He has been training in Ahmedabad and was expected to undertake fitness drills at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru before travelling. His selection is confined to the Test leg, with no place announced for him in the India A squad.

Pant's recovery shapes the wicketkeeping decision

Pant suffered his side strain while playing a sweep shot for Rest of India in the Irani Cup. The injury ruled him out of the first two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, removing opportunities to prepare for the senior series in local conditions.

He was expected to play the third unofficial Test in Lincoln from November 7 to 10, depending on his recovery. The BCCI has given no public date for his final fitness clearance. Dhruv Jurel is the other wicketkeeper in the Test squad and also offers an option as a specialist batter in the middle order.

Prasidh Krishna has a separate fitness condition attached to his selection for the first three ODIs. He has been recovering from a strain in his left hamstring, with scans showing no tear. The BCCI advisory marks his ODI participation as subject to clearance, while Pant carries that condition in the Test list.

Akash Deep and Kamboj return with domestic evidence

Akash Deep's recall follows nearly eight months away from competitive cricket because of a lower back injury suffered before the IPL. He last played a Test on the 2025 England tour, then returned through the Irani Cup and the opening round of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal.

His six wickets against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup gave the selectors a recent measure of his recovery. Kamboj has also built a case through domestic performances: since his Test debut in Manchester in July 2025, he has taken 40 wickets in first class cricket.

Kamboj played only one Test on that England tour, taking one wicket before losing his place. He now joins Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh and Akash Deep among the specialist pace options, with Reddy able to contribute seam bowling as an all rounder.

New Zealand pitches can reward pace, bounce and movement after the ball hits the surface. India's six seam options give Gill room to choose an attack suited to Wellington and Christchurch while spreading the bowling across players returning from different workloads.

Auqib Nabi, the uncapped Test seamer from Jammu and Kashmir who replaced Bumrah in the Sri Lanka squad, has been left out. He remains involved through India A and the final two ODIs, having made his international debut against West Indies in Guwahati.

Rahul and Jaiswal lead a settled batting group

Rahul is expected to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Gill retaining the captaincy. Devdutt Padikkal keeps his place after scoring two centuries at No. 3 during the Sri Lanka tour, giving India a batter with recent success in that position.

The ICC's World Test Championship statistics list Gill with 1,024 runs and the highest innings score of 269. Padikkal leads the listed batting averages with 109.33.

Sai Sudharsan returns after a toe injury kept him out of the Sri Lanka Tests. He resumed playing in the series against Australia A in Puducherry and provides another option near the top of the order. Padikkal's hundreds give the selectors a concrete reason to retain continuity, while Sudharsan's return adds cover and competition.

Jaiswal has been assigned all three India A matches before joining the senior Test squad and has not been selected for either ODI group. His preparation is therefore built around the longer format rather than switching between matches played with a white ball and those played with a red ball.

Sarfaraz Khan, who was part of the squad for Sri Lanka, has been omitted from the touring groups, including India A. Mohammed Shami has also been left out across the squads despite playing domestic cricket for Bengal.

Three spin choices leave Suthar outside the squad

Jadeja, Sundar and Kuldeep form India's spin group. Sundar returns after a hamstring injury ruled him out of both Tests in Sri Lanka, while Reddy's inclusion restores another player who last appeared in Tests against South Africa in late 2025.

Jadeja and Sundar combine batting with finger spin, using their fingers to put rotation on the ball. Kuldeep bowls wrist spin, creating a different angle and type of turn. Their contrasting skills allow India to weigh the need for specialist bowling against the value of runs from the lower order.

Kuldeep has 80 wickets in 19 Tests, although he took only one wicket in the opening Sri Lanka Test and was left out of the second. His recent County Championship stint with Yorkshire produced 10 wickets in three appearances, including figures of six for 50.

Manav Suthar misses out despite taking 16 wickets in four innings in Sri Lanka and reaching 23 wickets across his first three Tests. He remains part of the India A group. Axar Patel has also been left out of the Test squad but is included in the ODI groups, while Jadeja has been retained only for Tests on this tour.

Why the ODI squad changes before the Tests

Gill will captain the first three ODIs before Shreyas Iyer takes charge for the fourth and fifth matches, with Ishan Kishan as his deputy. The planned ODI captaincy split gives Gill and several other Test players time away from the closing matches to prepare for the longer format.

The BCCI schedule places the final ODI on November 15 in Mount Maunganui and the first Test on November 19 in Wellington. That is a gap of four calendar days, with November 16, 17 and 18 as the three full days between matches.

Gill, Rahul, Kamboj and Prasidh leave the ODI squad after the November 10 match in Hamilton. Their last scheduled ODI therefore falls nine days before the Test opener. Tilak Varma, Kumar Kushagra, Nabi and Yash Thakur enter for the final two games.

Each ODI squad contains 16 players, with 12 appearing in both groups. India are changing four places, or one quarter of the squad, while retaining Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli throughout the series.

Reddy, Siraj and Kuldeep face the shorter transition because they remain selected for the final ODIs as well as the Tests. Reddy and Kuldeep are also involved in the T20I leg, making their match workloads a continuing consideration as India move through the tour.

India A fixtures offer preparation and create clashes

India's wider tour begins with five T20Is from October 22, alongside three India A matches starting on October 24. The overlapping programme gives players chances to prepare in New Zealand, but some fixtures compete for the same players.

Pant, Gill, Rahul and Kamboj had been discussed as possible participants in the final India A match in Lincoln from November 7 to 10. The official ODI squad also includes Gill, Rahul and Kamboj for games on November 7 and 10. Their exact India A involvement will therefore depend on how the team manages those competing commitments.

Kushagra's first senior call comes for the final two ODIs. The wicketkeeper from Jharkhand has scored 1,387 runs in 35 List A innings at an average above 51. List A is the category that includes recognised domestic matches played with a limited number of overs, usually 50 per team.

The selections are the first for an interim committee led by Pragyan Ojha after Ajit Agarkar's tenure ended. Across the senior teams and India A, 42 players are involved, illustrating how widely India are spreading opportunities while preparing for both the Test championship and next year's ODI World Cup.

The dates and the full Test squad

The ODI series begins in Auckland on November 4 and finishes in Mount Maunganui on November 15. Both Tests are scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time, with the second match due to finish on December 1 if it lasts all five days.

• October 22: The T20I series begins in Christchurch.
• October 24: The first India A match begins in Lincoln.
• November 4, 7 and 10: The first three ODIs take place in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.
• November 7 to 10: The third India A match is scheduled in Lincoln.
• November 13 and 15: Mount Maunganui hosts the final two ODIs.
• November 19 to 23: Wellington hosts the first Test.
• November 27 to December 1: Christchurch hosts the second Test.

India's Test squad is Shubman Gill, captain; Yashasvi Jaiswal; KL Rahul, vice captain; Devdutt Padikkal; Rishabh Pant, wicketkeeper, subject to fitness clearance; Dhruv Jurel, wicketkeeper; Ravindra Jadeja; Anshul Kamboj; Jasprit Bumrah; Prasidh Krishna; Akash Deep; Sai Sudharsan; Nitish Kumar Reddy; Washington Sundar; Kuldeep Yadav; and Mohammed Siraj.

India's position in the World Test Championship adds urgency to the selection. The standings use the percentage of available points earned rather than total points alone, allowing comparison between teams that play different numbers of Tests. With a listed win percentage of 45.45 and fifth place in the ICC's team table, India need results in New Zealand to strengthen their challenge for a place in the final.

Key Points

• Bumrah returns for the two Tests after last playing the format in November 2025.
• Pant needs fitness clearance after a side strain; Jurel is the other wicketkeeper.
• Akash Deep and Kamboj return to a pace group that also includes Siraj, Prasidh and Reddy.
• Gill captains the Test side, with Rahul as vice captain.
• Only Reddy, Siraj and Kuldeep are selected for both the final two ODIs and the Tests.
• The Tests begin on November 19 in Wellington and November 27 in Christchurch.
• India are fifth in the ICC's World Test Championship team table with a win percentage of 45.45.