New Zealand Tests; Bumrah named vice-captain

India has announced a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand. Unlike the series against Bangladesh, where there was no vice-captain, pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will take on this role for the New Zealand series.

Mohammed Shami has been excluded from the squad, along with Yash Dayal, who played against Bangladesh. The spin department continues to feature Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. In the pace bowling unit, Bumrah will be joined by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.

The batting lineup remains unchanged from the Bangladesh series, featuring Rohit Sharma alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan. The two wicketkeepers in the squad are Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.

The India-New Zealand series is part of the ICC World Test Championship. Currently, India sits at the top of the points table, while New Zealand is in sixth place.

India will play the first Test against New Zealand starting October 16 in Bengaluru, followed by the second Test on October 24 in Pune. The third and final Test will take place in Mumbai starting November 1.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep.