Kuldeep Yadav dropped, Gurnoor Brar picked in India's Test squad vs New Zealand

The team management and the selectors have taken a big call days ahead of the Test series opener against New Zealand in Wellington. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped from the squad. Young pacer Gurnoor Brar has replaced Kuldeep for the two-Test series.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on November 14 said that Kuldeep will head home after the ODI series to play domestic cricket.

Meanwhile, India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has joined the Test squad in Wellington. Pant is all set to play in the first Test after recovering from side strain.

India’s updated Test squad vs New Zealand:

Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar.

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Gurnoor unavailable for 5th ODI

For the fifth ODI of the series, Brar will be unavailable. Kuldeep remains in the ODI squad after a wicketless display in the fourth ODI.

Stand-in skipper Shreyas Iyer has two options to include in the playing XI in Brar's absence. Mohammed Siraj can play his first game in the ODI series. Also, Yash Thakur can make his ODI debut. There is a possibility of both Siraj and Thakur playing together if Kuldeep is benched for the fifth ODI.

New Zealand’s veteran pacers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson won’t be available for the fifth ODI as they start preparation for the two-Test series. Henry wreaked havoc in the fourth ODI with a six-wicket haul, including a triple-wicket maiden first over.

India lead the series 2-1 as the third ODI was abandoned due to rain. India would look to make a comeback after getting bundled out for 89 and facing their second-heaviest defeat in ODIs by runs. Santner-led New Zealand will look to build on the confidence of a big win and level the series 2-2. 

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India’s updated squad for 5th ODI vs New Zealand

Shreyas Iyer (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (vc & wK), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.

New Zealand’s squad for 5th ODI vs India

Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert (wk), Blair Tickner, Will Young.