India’s first challenge of the new year will be a three match One Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, which kicks off January 11, 2026.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet announce the squad for this series, but there might be two big players missing from the list – Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
According a report by Cricbuzz, Bumrah and Pandy could be rested for the upcoming IND vs NZ ODI series for workload management and injury prevention with the ICC T20 World Cup on the horizon.
Bumrah-Pandya’s ODI Hiatus To Continue
Jasprit Bumrah is yet to play a 50-over game for the Men in Blue after the ICC World Cup Final against Australia in 2023. Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, has missed all ODIs since the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand from earlier this year.
Both have represented India in T20Is though, and are a key asset for the side. With the T20 World Cup set to begin in early February, the said report suggests that the Indian team management has decided to rest the two players for the upcoming three 50 over matches against the Kiwis.
Having said that, the Cricbuzz report also suggests that they are expected to return for the following five-match India vs New Zealand T20I series.
The BCCI has announced the squad for those games, which mirrors India’s T20 World Cup selection. Here’s a look at all the players:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan
This T20I bilateral series begins on January 21, and concludes on January 31, 2026, one week before the T20 World Cup kicks off.
Also Check: IND vs NZ ODIs: Virat Kohli Set To Overtake Ricky Ponting And Virender Sehwag
