IND vs NZ: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah to miss ODIs against New Zealand due to THIS reason

Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will only feature in the T20I series against New Zealand.

Indian Cricket Team‘s all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pacer Jasprit Bumrah are likely to miss the ODI series against New Zealand, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The team management is going to rest them to manage their workload ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

However, the duo will be part of the T20I series against the BlackCaps. India and New Zealand are scheduled to lock horns in three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI series will commence on January 11 with the first game in Vadodara and conclude on January 18 with the third clash in Indore.

The five-match T20I series will witness the opening game on January 21 in Nagpur. The next four matches will take place on January 23, 25, 28, and 31. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad for the New Zealand ODI series in the first week of January.

Pandya, who only plays in the white-ball format, last played an ODI in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March. Since then, he has been out of the ODI squad due to fitness issues. On the other hand, Bumrah represents has not featured in an ODI game since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

Notably, the Indian team management believes that both the senior Indian members should be kept out of the ODIs as they are going to play a crucial role in ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The Men in Blue will aim to defend their title in the tournament, which will commence on February 7 and will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Hardik Pandya to play for Baroda in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Meanwhile, Pandya is expected to play for his domestic team Baroda in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. He might play in two of the last three matches, scheduled to take place in Rajkot on January 3, 6, and 8.

Veteran Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also featured in the first two games of the domestic one-day tournament, playing for Mumbai and Delhi respectively.

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