IND vs NZ: 5 Indian stars who were overlooked for ODI series despite brilliant show in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Several stars have been overlooked despite their impactful innings in the Indian Domestic Cricket.

India and New Zealand (IND vs NZ) are set to square off in a white-ball series, which will commence on January 11 with the first ODI game in Vadodara. Both sides will clash in three ODI encounters, followed by a five-match T20I series.

Shubman Gill is gearing up to captain India in the New Zealand ODIs after missing the previous series against South Africa due to an injury. The BCCI announced a strong squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. This series will be India’s first assignment in 2026.

A few national players impressed with their stellar performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT 2025-26). Despite a brilliant show in the one-day domestic tournament, a few players could not find a place in India’s ODI squad against the Black Caps.

On that note, below are the five Indian players who were overlooked for the New Zealand ODIs despite a brilliant show in VHT 2025-26.

5. Sanju Samson

While Sanju Samson has been named in the T20I series against New Zealand, he wasn’t considered for the ODI series. The wicket-keeper batsman played one game for Kerala in VHT 2025-26 against Jharkhand.

Smacking a century (101) in the clash, he drove Kerala to victory by eight wickets in the 312-run chase. Despite his batting heroics, he could not earn the selectors’ nod for his ODI comeback. He last played in the 50-over format in December 2023.

4. Axar Patel

Axar Patel has been a crucial all-rounder for India in the white-ball format for the last few years. Playing for Gujarat against Andhra, he hammered an impeccable century (130) and also clinched two wickets.

For his crucial role in Gujarat’s victory by seven runs, he was adjudged Player of the match. However, selectors went ahead with Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja as all-rounders for the New Zealand campaign.

3. Mohammed Shami

Many fans and some cricket experts predicted that Mohammed Shami was set to make a return to the national team in this series. The senior Indian pacer represents Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and has done a commendable job so far.

Across five games, he has scalped 11 wickets with two three-wicket hauls against Chandigarh and Assam. However, he could not steal a spot in India’s squad as selectors chose pacers like Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna.

2. Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan, who plays for Mumbai, rocked the field in the clash against Goa. Smacking 157 runs off 75 deliveries with 14 sixes, he set the field on fire.

The right-handed batter also scored half-centuries against Uttarakhand and Rajasthan (55 and 73), earning appreciation for his consistent performances. He is yet to make his debut in the 50-over format, but could not grab selectors’ attention despite his stunning stint with the bat.

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his class in the previous clashes of VHT 2025-26. The right-handed batter scored a spectacular century against Uttarakhand (124) and followed it up with a half-century (66) against Mumbai.

He also hit an unbeaten 38 runs in a prior game against Sikkim and scored his maiden ton in the ODI series against South Africa last month. However, with Shreyas Iyer’s return in the New Zealand ODIs, Gaikwad was overlooked by selectors.

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