Bumrah returns as Kamboj, Akash Deep recalled for New Zealand Tests
Pant named subject to fitness in the 16-man squad; Sudharsan, Nitish Reddy return, Auqib Nabi misses out
India have announced their Test squad to tour New Zealand, recalling seamers Anshul Kamboj and Akash Deep, while including Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Reddy for the two-Test series.
In the squad helmed by Shubman Gill, Bumrah is a notable inclusion, having not played a single Test this year so far. He last featured in whites during South Africa’s tour in late 2025. Rishabh Pant, who recently suffered a side strain in the Irani Cup, has been included subject to fitness clearance.
KL Rahul will act as Gill’s deputy and make the first-choice opening pair alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Devdutt Padikkal, who scored two centuries at No.3 on the Sri Lanka tour, retains his place while Sai Sudharsan, another contender for the same spot, comes in after missing the Sri Lanka tour with a toe injury. Dhruv Jurel is the second keeper in the side, also presenting them with a middle-order option.
Kamboj, who played one Test on the England tour in 2025 and was dropped, has been recalled. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj retain their spots.
As indicated by Cricbuzz, Akash Deep makes his return to the Test squad after featuring in the Irani Cup. A lower-back injury ahead of the IPL kept him out of competitive cricket for nearly eight months. He, too, last played a Test on the 2025 England tour.
There was no space for Auqib Nabi, the J&K seamer who replaced Bumrah for the Sri Lanka Tests and remains uncapped in the format. He made his ODI debut during the West Indies series.
Nitish Reddy also makes his return, having last featured against South Africa last year. Washington Sundar, who missed both Tests in Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury, has been picked too. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja make up the remainder of the spin combination, with no space for Axar Patel or Manav Suthar to squeeze in.
*Subject to fitness clearance
The first Test begins on 19 November in Wellington, only three days after the fifth and final ODI in Mount Maunganui. With such a tight turnaround, the BCCI has named a separate squad for the last two ODIs, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav are the only members of the Test squad who feature in it.
