India squad for New Zealand T20Is announced; Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after 4 years

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made India comeback after four years.

India are set for a busy tour of New Zealand later this month as the two teams prepare to face each other across all three formats. The tour will begin with a five-match T20I series on October 22, followed by ODI and Test matches.

The first T20I will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 22. The second match will also take place in Christchurch on October 24.

The teams will then travel to Wellington for the third T20I on October 27. The fourth match will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on October 30, followed by the final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on November 1.

For India, the series comes at an important time as the team continues to manage players across different formats. Several members of the recent Asian Games squad have retained their places, while the selectors have also made a couple of changes to the T20I group.

The selection meeting was led by interim chief selector Pragyan Ojha following the end of Ajit Agarkar’s tenure. The selectors have now finalised the squad for the five-match T20I series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India T20I setup for New Zealand series

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the biggest talking points from the squad announcement. The experienced pacer returns to India’s T20I side after a long gap and brings plenty of experience to the bowling attack.

His return was reported ahead of the announcement, with the selectors considering him for the five-match series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will now have a chance to make an impact in New Zealand conditions.

Varun Chakaravarthy has also been brought back into the T20I squad, replacing Ravi Bishnoi. The spinner adds another option to India’s bowling attack alongside Kuldeep Yadav.

With only two changes made to the squad, India have largely retained the group that has been part of their recent T20I plans. The team will now look to make a strong start to the New Zealand tour when the series begins on October 22.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.

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