India vs New Zealand ODI 2026 Squad Announcement Live Updates: India’s ODI squad for New Zealand series which starts on 11 January will be picked on Saturday (3 January). While Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be back, there are rumours that Rishabh Pant could be dropped.
India vs New Zealand ODI Squad 2026 Live Updates: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors will meet on Saturday (3 January) virtually to pick
India’s squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. India and New Zealand will play a three-match ODI series, starting from 11 January at Vadodara. The next T20 India vs New Zealand ODIs are on 14 and 18 January at Rajkot and Indore, respectively.
While last year there were questions over whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would continue playing ODIs, their recent good form seems to have put those questions to bed. The players have not said anything, but it is now seen as a guarantee that Kohli and Rohit are targetting the 2027 ODI World Cup. They also recently featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring one century each.
BCCI selectors to drop Pant, pick Shami?
So, as we prepare for Rohit and Kohli’s comeback, there are rumours that Rishabh Pant may get dropped to accommodate Ishan Kishan. Pant did not play a single ODI in 2025 and was a reserve keeper to KL Rahul in the last ODI series against South Africa. However, he has had a poor time so far in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, registering a highest of 70 in four matches.
Kishan, meanwhile, is in great form, scoring a match-winning century for Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which helped him get selected for the T20 World Cup. He also scored a hundred recently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It will be interesting to see if the BCCI selectors pick Kishan over Pant.
Also in contention for a comeback is pacer Mohammed Shami, who has taken 21 wickets in the last seven matches. His fitness was seen as a problem earlier, but now that the 35-year-old is playing regularly and taking wickets, it would be difficult for the BCCI selectors to ignore him.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are set to be rested during the ODI series vs New Zealand to keep them fresh for the T20Is and the T20 World Cup that starts next month.