Gurnoor Brar left out of India’s XI for fifth ODI after Test call-up
Gurnoor Brar will not play India’s fifth One-Day International against New Zealand at the Bay Oval in Tauranga on November 15, 2026, after being added to India’s Test squad ahead of the two-match series. The match is decisive for the series: India need a win to secure the five-match series while New Zealand can draw the series with victory.
The fifth ODI forms the conclusion of a five-match series in which India won the first two games, the third match was washed out and India then lost the fourth by 244 runs. India enter the final ODI looking to win the overseas series and to build on momentum from the preceding T20Is, with the Test series scheduled to begin on November 19 in Wellington.
Brar, 26, has been added to India’s Test side and replaces Kuldeep Yadav in the visitors’ squad ahead of the two-match Test series, having joined the team’s Test preparations. His move into the Test group is the reason he is not included in India’s squad for the last ODI.
Brar has been the leading pace performer for India in the ODI series, taking 9 wickets in three innings; his best figures came in the second ODI when he picked four wickets for 30 runs. That form made him the selection to replace Kuldeep Yadav in the Test squad.
With Brar’s inclusion India now list six frontline pace options — Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep and Gurnoor Brar — while the spin resources in the Test group are Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
Kuldeep Yadav has been released from the Test squad to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is set to play three T20s for Uttar Pradesh in that competition. The left-arm wrist spinner’s release prompted Brar’s elevation to the Test group.
Rishabh Pant has also joined India’s Test preparations in Wellington; the 29-year-old received the required fitness clearance from the BCCI medical staff and has recovered from a side strain.
The two-match Test series commences on November 19 in Wellington, with India having finalised squad adjustments that include Brar’s promotion and Kuldeep’s release ahead of those fixtures.
