India ODI squad announcement updates: Speculation over Shreyas Iyer, keepers continue

That's it for the day. Tune in tomorrow with BCCI expected to name India's squad.

KL Rahul will be the main wicketkeeper but who'll be the other(s)? Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel were selected against South Africa. One of them or both can be dropped. Ishan Kishan could come in as well.

Should BCCI consider resting players selected for the 2026 T20 World Cup for the India vs New Zealand T20I series? 

Read more about it here. 

This is how Shivang's List A debut looked like 😵‍💫🪄

[Shivang Kumar | Play With Fire | Vijay Hazare Trophy] pic.twitter.com/r51ybDXNpq

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) January 2, 2026

Yograj Singh recalled Arjun Tendulkar spending a couple of weeks with him early in his career and surprising him with his batting strength.#ArjunTendulkar #MumbaiIndians #RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/T6F0nWak4t

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) January 2, 2026

Date	Match	Opposition	Venue
January 11	1st ODI	New Zealand	Vadodara
January 14	2nd ODI	New Zealand	Rajkot
January 18	3rd ODI	New Zealand	Indore

Shubman Gill (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana
Exclusions from South Africa ODI series: Dhruv Jurel (wk), Tilak Varma

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Axar Patel/Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Tilak Varma, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Aakash Chopra believes that Rishabh Pant should be in India's squad for the ODI series against New Zealand 🔵🏏#RishabhPant #INDvNZ #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/a1kxxds98k

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) January 2, 2026

“He (Gill) has a lot of talent. There will always be comparisons. Virat was compared with Sachin and now Gill is being compared to Virat, who has scored those 25000-30000 runs. I think he is fully capable of it. He has a fine range of shots. The more responsibility and challenges he gets, he will grow as a cricketer. I have seen that he is always ready for cricket,” Irfan Pathan stated.

Shreyas Iyer is set to undergo two match simulation tests at the BCCI's CoE on January 2 and 5. He will get a fitness clearance only if he passes these two tests. This means his selection for the IND vs NZ ODI series is highly unlikely, given that the squad will be announced on January 3. Else, the selectors could very well pick him with an asterisk that reads - subject to fitness. Read more here.

With the five T20Is and the T20 World Cup coming around in less than a month, one can hope that BCCI manages the workload of players sensibly. If possible, no player selected for the T20 World Cup should be named in the ODI team. That means, that the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Tilak Varma would miss out on the IND vs NZ ODIS. 
Note: Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are already slated to rest out. 

Also, there are no dearth of options. Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal are all exciting options!

In a new development, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh are slated to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) fixture for Punjab. The Punjab unit will face Sikkim in Jaipur tomorrow.

With a huge List-A batting average of 82.56, Devdutt Padikkal has certainly made himself an exciting option in the ODI setup. His contributions have been hard to ignore, with Padikkal scoring 406 at a heroic average of 101.50 and at a SR of over 106. With Shreyas Iyer not available, he is certainly a sensible pick. While Gaikwad might be considered in the first XI, Padikkal should be a must. 

1. Likely Return Against New Zealand: As per reports, Mohammed Shami is set to make a comeback in India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series, after being overlooked since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. 

2. Fitness Concerns: Shami's fitness is the main concern, but a BCCI source says he's "looking good" for the series and could even be considered for the 2027 World Cup as well.

3. Domestic Form is Strong: Shami has taken 20 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, 17 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and 6 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, showcasing that he is in his element to take wickets.

4. Experience and Ability: With Jasprit Bumrah being rested and Arshdeep-Harshit being part of T20I team, this could be a chance for Shami.

The online sale of tickets for the IND vs NZ 1st ODI went live on BookMyShow website and application on January 1, and they sold out in just 8 minutes! This reflects the huge craze among fans to watch Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in action.

Superbly, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are having a dream run right now. They end 2025 as the World No. 1 and No. 2 ranked ODI batters, and as India's leading run-getters in the format. 

Scores in last 7 matches: 

Virat Kohli: 77, 131, 65*, 102, 135, 74* 
Rohit Sharma: 0, 155, 75, 14, 57, 121*, 73

Date	Match	Venue	Time (Local)	Time (GMT)
Sun, Jan 11, 2026	1st ODI	BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara	1:30 PM	8:00 AM
Wed, Jan 14, 2026	2nd ODI	Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri, Rajkot	1:30 PM	8:00 AM
Sun, Jan 18, 2026	3rd ODI	Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore	1:30 PM	8:00 AM

A few days ago, reports emerged that the Indian management is looking at Ishan Kishan to replace Rishabh Pant as the second-choice keeper in the ODI team. While KL Rahul remains undroppable, Kishan might be fighting for a spot with Pant. 

Kishan has been magnificent in domestic cricket, with a recent 33-ball hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, Pant has struggled for Delhi. Having said that, it would be harsh on Pant if he gets dropped since he hasn't played more than one ODI in last three years!

One of the most exciting returns in this squad would be that of Shubman Gill, who missed the last 3 ODIs against South Africa due to a neck injury. Now, he comes back with a point to prove as well. Gill was dropped from India's T20I team for the World Cup and would be definitely hurting. 
With this, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a ton in his last ODI appearance, would miss a spot in the starting XI.

In a major development, India's ODI vice-captain is most likely to miss the India vs New Zealand ODI series. His competitive return has been pushed back after he failed to get clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He lost 6 kilograms due to internal bleeding, resulting him in less muscle mass than required. 
Without him, Ruturaj Gaikwad would continue to slot in at number four. He did well and scored a century in the last series against South Africa. The No. 4 spot would belong to Gaikwad until Shreyas comes back. 

In a major development, India's ODI vice-captain is most likely to miss the India vs New Zealand ODI series. His competitive return has been pushed back after he failed to get clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He lost 6 kilograms due to internal bleeding, resulting him in less muscle mass than required. 
Without him, Ruturaj Gaikwad would continue to slot in at number four. He did well and scored a century in the last series against South Africa. The No. 4 spot would belong to Gaikwad until Shreyas comes back. 

Hello and welcome to the live blog of India's ODI squad updates. The BCCI selection committee will soon release the list of 15 players that will be seen in the 3-match ODI series against New Zealand.