India name squad for five-match T20I series in New Zealand; Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after four years

India announced its squad for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand, which begins at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 22, and the selection includes the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to T20I duty after four years.

The tour opens with T20Is before scheduled ODI and Test matches, with fixtures set for October 22 and October 24 in Christchurch, October 27 in Wellington, October 30 at Eden Park in Auckland and November 1 at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The selection meeting was led by interim chief selector Pragyan Ojha following the end of Ajit Agarkar’s tenure, and selectors retained several members of the recent Asian Games squad while making a couple of changes to the T20I group.

Only two personnel changes were made to the previously named T20I group: Varun Chakaravarthy has been recalled to the squad, replacing Ravi Bishnoi, and Kuldeep Yadav remains part of the spin options. The selectors largely kept the group that has been involved in India’s recent T20I plans.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s inclusion is a headline feature of the squad announcement; the experienced pacer returns to India’s T20I side after a four-year absence. Reports ahead of the official list indicated the selectors were considering him for the five-match series, and the squad name gives him an opportunity to play in New Zealand conditions.

The full 16-player squad named is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.

Shreyas Iyer will captain India for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the team expected to begin the tour when the first T20I is played on October 22.

The series opener is scheduled for October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, followed by the remaining four T20Is on October 24 (Christchurch), October 27 (Wellington), October 30 (Eden Park, Auckland) and November 1 (Seddon Park, Hamilton).