India’s two most important players in white-ball cricket, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, have won many matches for the team, but they remain prone to injuries. To ensure his presence for the World Cup, the Indian team management may keep him away from the ODI matches against New Zealand.
The Indian team will enter the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the defending champions and will look to excel in home conditions. Therefore the team management is taking some precautionary measures ahead of this prestigious tournament.
Ahead of the ICC event, India will host the Blackcaps for a white-ball series starting on January 11. The series consists of three ODI matches followed by a five-match T20I series.
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for New Zealand ODI
It is believed that the Indian selectors and team management have agreed to rest all-rounder Hardik Pandya and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. However, according to Cricbuzz, both are expected to return in the T20Is, which will take place immediately after the ODIs.
The decision not to consider Bumrah and Pandya for the three ODIs before the T20Is is to keep them as fresh as possible ahead of the T20 World Cup. Both players have had a long list of injuries in their careers. Hardik Pandya missed the 2023 World Cup, while Jasprit Bumrah missed the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy due to injuries.
Jasprit Bumrah has not played a single ODI match since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, and Hardik Pandya has not played a single match since the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The five T20 matches will be held in Nagpur (January 21), Raipur (January 23), Guwahati (January 25), Visakhapatnam (January 28) and Thiruvananthapuram (January 31) as both the giants return to prepare for the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya to join Baroda for List A comeback
ODI matches are scheduled on January 11 (Baroda), 14 (Rajkot), and 18 (Indore), and Hardik Pandya is expected to make a comeback for Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the final league matches, despite the possibility of not being selected for the ODIs.
Like many great players of the Indian team, Pandya is also making a comeback to domestic List A cricket to comply with the BCCI order which forced players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to skip the Vijay Hazare Trophy. According to Cricbuzz report, Pandya can play three scheduled matches in Rajkot on 3rd, 6th and 8th.
Rohit Sharma’s domestic journey ends; Virat Kohli will continue
Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who returned to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since 2018, scored a brilliant century against Sikkim, but was out with a golden duck in the second game. He has informed MCA that his domestic responsibilities are over and now his focus will be on the ODI series against New Zealand.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli, who played the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will be back for the final league match against Railways before joining the Indian squad for the ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer is desperate to play for India, announces return of Vijay Hazare Trophy
While some are leaving their places, some other big names are on the verge of making a comeback. Mumbai Cricket Association has announced that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been keeping a low profile so far, will return for Mumbai and will also feature in some games.
Also, India’s two T20 superstars Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dubey will also be included in Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. Both of them also played a stellar role in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign for Mumbai.
But among all these players, the eyes of all the cricket lovers will be looking for Indian vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. Iyer, who has been out of action since his spleen injury, is making a desperate bid to make a comeback ahead of selection for the ODI team. He is expected to test his fitness with the match against Maharashtra; However, there is no clarity on whether he will play ODI or not.
Also read: Gus Atkinson out of cricket after injury in Ashes
