Brar, Arshdeep and Auqib Nabi to remain with India for New Zealand Test preparations

Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Auqib Nabi will stay with India’s squad in New Zealand to prepare for the two-match Test series beginning on November 19, India’s batting coach Sitanshi Kotak confirmed ahead of the third ODI pre-match press conference.

India are currently in the ODI phase of their tour of New Zealand and will play their final ODI against the Black Caps on Sunday, November 15; Test preparations for the red-ball series are scheduled to begin on November 11 because of limited turnaround time between formats.

Kotak confirmed that the three fast bowlers, who are taking part in the ongoing ODI series, will remain with the Test group as management balances limited rest for the touring party.

India A are also engaged in a three-match series against New Zealand A as part of broader preparation, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel named among the India A players involved.

India lead the five-match ODI series after winning the first two games, and Gurnoor Brar has been prolific with three wickets in the first ODI and four in the second.

Arshdeep Singh took four wickets in the first game while conceding 70 runs in his complete spell, compared with Brar’s 44 runs conceded in nine overs; in the latest ODI Arshdeep conceded 16 runs in seven overs and bowled a maiden but did not take a wicket.

Brar claimed four wickets in the most recent match with an economy of 3 and bowled two maiden overs, while Auqib Nabi took two wickets at an economy of 4.43 after a wicketless first game; the report notes Indian pacers have begun to find form on New Zealand pitches and that conditions have been overcast.

With Test preparations set to start on November 11, India will move from the final ODI on November 15 into the two-match Test series that opens on November 19 and concludes with the second Test beginning on November 27.