Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya Likely To Miss New Zealand ODIs | Reports

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are likely to be rested for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand to keep them fresh for the T20 World Cup.

India is likely to rest Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand to manage workload ahead of key T20 assignments, including the T20 World Cup. Both players are expected to return for the five T20Is that follow the ODIs.

According to reports from Cricbuzz, the team management wants both players fresh for the shorter format. Pandya has not played an ODI since March due to fitness concerns. Bumrah last featured in the format during the 2023 World Cup final.

The ODI series is scheduled for January 11 in Baroda, January 14 in Rajkot, and January 18 in Indore. The T20Is will be played on January 21, 23, 25, 28, and 31 across five venues. The ODI squad is expected to be announced around January 4 or 5.

Meanwhile, Pandya is expected to play domestic cricket for Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He may appear in matches on January 3, 6, or 8 in Rajkot to meet BCCI requirements.

Kohli set for final Vijay Hazare outing before ODIs

Additionally, Virat Kohli is set to return for one more Vijay Hazare Trophy match. A senior DDCA official confirmed that Kohli, who played on December 24 and 26 in Bengaluru, will feature in Delhi’s January 6 league game against Railways at Alur. He will then link up with the national team for the three ODIs against New Zealand.

Rohit Sharma has completed his domestic commitments after playing two matches for Mumbai in Jaipur. The Mumbai Cricket Association also confirmed that Yashasvi Jaiswal will rejoin the squad shortly after recovering from illness. Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube will also report to the Mumbai camp soon.

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Uncertainty remains around Shreyas Iyer. Recovering from a spleen injury, he is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Iyer may feature in Mumbai’s January 3 match against Maharashtra in Jaipur to assess match fitness.