No Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhimanyu Easwaran in travelling reserves as India announce Test squad for New Zealand series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Test team for the three-match series against New Zealand. The first game will be played in Bengaluru on October 16th. The second Test will be played in Pune on October 22nd, and the final game will be played in Mumbai on November 1st. 

This time, the Board has again ignored the star domestic openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhimanyu Easwaran even after scoring heaps of runs in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup 2024. Easwaran recently played a 191-run knock against Mumbai in the Irani Cup 2024 but still didn't get a chance in the squad. The Board didn't even consider these players in the travelling reserve ahead of the series. India have kept only two regular openers in the squad, which is a controversial move. 

Rohit Sharma will lead the side, and most of the players who were part of the Bangladesh series have been retained. The home team had won the two-match series against Bangladesh with a 2-0 margin. If Rohit Sharma and his men beat New Zealand 3-0, they will more or less secure their place in the finals of the World Test Championships 2025. 

Virat Kohli will be one of the players to watch out for during the series against New Zealand. The former Indian skipper hasn’t managed to score a fifty this year in the longest format of the game. The 35-year-old scored 47 during the 1st innings of the Kanpur test, in which India won by 7 wickets. 

Sarfaraz Khan has been included in the team and it will be interesting to see if the right-handed batter gets to play. The 26-year-old was released from Mumbai’s squad which is set to begin its defense of Ranji Trophy title. Sarfaraz is in top form and comes into the series on the back of his brilliant 222 not out during the Irani Cup game. Yash Dayal hasn't been included in the side as Mayank Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy will be the travelling reserves.

New Zealand suffer Kane Williamson blow ahead of India series

Former Kiwi skipper and leading batter Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the Bengaluru Test. The 34-year-old has suffered an injury to his groin during the recent 2-match series against Sri Lanka. The former Kiwi skipper has a good record in India, and his presence will be sorely missed in Bengaluru. 

Mark Chapman has been named in the squad for the series against India. Michael Bracewell will play just one game before heading back home to be with his wife for the birth of his child. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi will then travel to India for the Test matches in Pune and Mumbai. 

Addressing the media, New Zealand selector Sam Wells said, “The advice we've received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury. We're hopeful that if the rehabilitation goes to plan, Kane will be available for the latter part of the tour”

Kiwi selector also said, “While it's obviously disappointing not to have Kane available from the start of the tour, it provides an opportunity for someone else to play a role in an important series." It is to be noted that Tom Latham was named the new Test captain after Tim Southee stepped down after the series loss to Sri Lanka. 

Indian Test squad:

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep

New Zealand Test squad:

Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young