India’s pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s workload is being managed ahead of the New Zealand Test series. After helping India win the Asian Games 2026 gold medal, Bumrah has been rested for the T20I series against West Indies and New Zealand. Now, Bumrah may be kept out of the five-ODI series against New Zealand as well to keep him fit for the two-Test series, which is crucial to India’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final chances.
As per a report by TOI, the team management wants Bumrah to play the third and final unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A before the Test series and increase his workload gradually. The third game of the series will begin on November 7. The two-Test series against New Zealand is set to commence on November 9 at Basin Reserve, Wellington.
The report further states that Bumrah will begin his red-ball preparations at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) later this month.
"Bumrah is completely fit, but for a long tour, it's important to prioritise. The Test series is very important, so there's no point making Bumrah slog it out in the ODIs and then suddenly shift focus to red-ball cricket. He is the leader of the bowling pack, and a fresh, ready Bumrah is the priority right now," a source told English daily.
Bumrah to miss more ODI series after New Zealand tour?
Bumrah had missed the two-Test series against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury he sustained in the second ODI of the series against England. The team management does not intend to use Bumrah's services for ODI bilateral series, which will work before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 on Indian soil.
"The plan is not just for New Zealand, but discussions are also happening for the BGT next year. There is no point wasting Bumrah for inconsequential bilaterals. Right now, the WTC is the focus, and all energies will be directed at planning for that," the source added.
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Bumrah may end up missing ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2026 and three-ODI series against Zimbabwe in January 2027. Also, contrary to the report, Bumrah may play a game or two in the bilateral ODI series as India’s preparations for ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa continue.
Who will lead India pace attack in the ODI series on Kiwi soil?
In the ongoing white-ball series, India are missing the services of Bumrah. In the ODI series dead rubber, West Indies had chased down 352 with 10 balls to spare. In the second T20I, West Indies chased down 250 with nine balls to spare. In the fourth T20I, West Indies posted 247/3 and won by 24 runs. In the post-match press conference on October 14, Sanju Samson said: “There is no replacement for Bumrah”.
For the New Zealand T20I series, India have banked on the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, recalling him to the T20I squad after nearly four years.
While Shubman Gill will be pleased to know that Bumrah is fit and available for the upcoming Test series as he looks for a comeback in WTC final pursuit, he will be disappointed to miss the pacer’s services for ODIs.
Earlier this month, Prasidh Krishna sustained a hamstring injury during the second ODI of the series against West Indies. There is no official update on whether Krishna will be fit for the ODI series against New Zealand. If Bumrah misses New Zealand ODIs, Mohammed Siraj will be the leader of the pace attack.
Former cricketers have also speculated that if Bhuvneshwar does well in the T20Is, he may make a comeback to the ODI setup as well. With Pragyan Ojha as interim chief selector, many feel that there is a chance for Mohammed Shami’s comeback. Shami hasn’t donned the India jersey since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. Fitness concerns were cited for keeping Shami out of squads across formats while he continued to grind in domestic cricket.
Shami has a stellar ODI record against New Zealand. He has 38 wickets from 16 ODIs, including a seven-wicket haul in the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal.
Will Rana return?
Harshit Rana’s comeback after recovering from injury was short-lived. Rana got injured during the T20I series against England and is currently doing his rehabilitation at CoE.
Reportedly, India’s squad announcement is delayed as the selectors wait for an update on Krishna and Rana. The 24-year-old's previous ODI appearance was against New Zealand at home in January 2026.
No timeline on Hardik’s return
India are also missing their established pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya in white-ball formats. Hardik hasn’t played competitive cricket since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He was set to return to action via the One-Day series between India A and Australia. But he couldn’t regain full fitness and missed the One-Day series and is unlikely for New Zealand ODIs as well.
In his absence, Reddy hasn’t stepped up. Hardik was replaced by Suryansh Shedge in the India A side against the Aussies. Shedge had taken a four-wicket haul in the series opener. Then, in the dead-rubber third ODI, he scored a crucial 66. He may be considered for New Zealand ODIs.
In the recently concluded ODI series, India had also tried Naman Dhir as a batting all-rounder who can contribute with off-spin. Dhir may get another chance if Washington Sundar is part of the India A series against New Zealand A.
New Zealand ODI squads vs India:
ODIs 1–3: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
ODIs 4-5: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Lockie Ferguson, Mitch Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Tim Seifert (wk), Blair Tickner, Will Young.
IND vs NZ ODI and Test series schedule
First ODI: 4 November, Auckland
Second ODI: 7 November, Wellington
Third ODI: 10 November, Hamilton
Fourth ODI: 13 November, Mount Maunganui
Fifth ODI: 15 November, Mount Maunganui
First Test: 19-23 November, Wellington
Second Test: 27 November-1 December, Christchurch.