Bumrah Named Vice Captain for Test Series Against New Zealand

The BCCI on Friday named pacer Jasprit Bumrah as Vice Captain of the 15-member Indian squad for the three-match home Test series against New Zealand.

Hyderabad: Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the Vice Captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand, which is starting from Bengaluru. Prior to this, Bumrah had also led the Indian side during the rescheduled fifth Test match against England in July 2022 at Edgbaston.

The senior selection committee led by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar picked the squad, which was announced through a media statement by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, late Friday night. The squad will be led by skipper Rohit Sharma and there are no surprises in it.

All the regulars including Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel have been named in the squad. The bowling attack, which will be led by Bumrah, comprises Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.

Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are included in the squad. The three matches will be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Test series commences on October 16.

India’s 15-member squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep.

One of the key changes to be noticed is the absence of Mohammed Shami in the squad for the series against the Kiwis. The 34-year-old has been recovering from an ankle ailment, which kept him out of Bengal's opening Ranji Trophy matches. After having undergone a surgery earlier this year, Shami has not yet fully recovered from his injury, and the 2023 ODI World Cup final was his last competitive match appearance.