IND vs NZ: Why was Dhruv Jurel picked over Ishan Kishan to replace Rishabh Pant in ODI squad?
Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the IND vs NZ ODI series due to injury.
The Indian Cricket Team and the New Zealand Cricket Team (IND vs NZ) are set to battle in a three-match ODI series. The campaign got underway with the opening game in Vadodara on January 11.
Ahead of the match, the Men in Blue suffered a big blow as Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the series due to an injury.
The wicket-keeper batsman sustained an injury while practising in the nets ahead of the opening game. He has been diagnosed with a side strain. The selectors have picked Dhruv Jurel to fill his spot in the series.
Notably, many fans were surprised by Jurel’s selection over Ishan Kishan. The latter has been named for the T20I series against New Zealand, which will follow the ODI series.
Hence, fans expected that Kishan might get preference to get picked in the ODI squad to fill the vacant spot left by Pant. However, Jurel got the final nod from the selectors.
Why did selectors choose Dhruv Jurel over Ishan Kishan?
Both Jurel and Kishan were part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. While Jurel was part of Uttar Pradesh, Kishan represented Jharkhand. The former gave a far better performance than the latter, which was a key reason for being called up for the New Zealand series.
Across seven games, Jurel hammered four fifties and two centuries, rocking the field with his performance. With 558 runs across seven games at a stunning average of 93.0 and strike rate of 122+, he ended as the fourth highest run-scorer in the domestic one-day tournament.
In comparison, Ishan Kishan scored a century in the opening clash against Karnataka. However, he could only score 9 and 21 in the next two clashes against Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. He featured in just three matches.
Jurel’s impressive performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is likely the reason he was chosen over Ishan Kishan in the ODI squad. Meanwhile, below is India’s updated squad for the ODI series against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK).
How many ODI games will be played between India and New Zealand?
Three ODI games will be played between India and New Zealand.
Who replaced Rishabh Pant in India’s ODI squad?
Dhruv Jurel replaced Pant in India’s ODI squad.
Why was Rishabh Pant ruled out of the India squad for the ODI series against New Zealand?
Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the India squad for the ODI series against New Zealand after sustaining a side strain while practising.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.