BCCI splits India ODI squad for New Zealand tour to allow Test preparation

The BCCI released two separate squads on Friday for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand. Shubman Gill leads the side in the opening three games while Shreyas Iyer takes charge for the final two. Iyer, already India’s T20I captain, will make his ODI captaincy debut on November 13.

Four players—Gill, KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna—are named only for the first three matches so they can begin Test preparation. Tilak Varma, Kumar Kushagra, Auqib Nabi and Yash Thakur appear only in the last two. Kumar Kushagra and Yash Thakur earn their first call-ups for these two ODIs.

The BCCI named two separate squads because Gill, Rahul, Kamboj and Krishna need to begin preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand after playing the first three ODIs. The five-match ODI series in New Zealand will help India prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup, while the two Tests are crucial for the Indian team to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final alive.