Just recently, India announced their T20I squad for the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup and T20I series against New Zealand. Now, New Zealand announces ODI and T20I squads for the India Series, and there are some surprises in the squad, including the absence of Kane Williamson for the India tour. Is this a sign that he will also miss the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup?
New Zealand and India will play a total of three-match ODI series, which starts from the 11th of January 2026, with Vadodara, Rajkot, and Indore as the venues for the same. Eventually, the T20I series starts from the 21st of January 2026, with the venue for the first T20I being VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The last and final T20I is on 31st January 2026 at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, which will be the venue.
Also check out: India vs New Zealand ODI & T20 Schedule: Date, Time, Venues, and all you need to know
New Zealand announces ODI and T20I Squad for India Series
When we start with the T20I squad, Mitchell Santner will be the player who will lead the team. There are many changes to the New Zealand team, and some of the key players, such as Kane Williamson, Will O’Rourke, and Blair Tickner, are not part of the T20I squad. This surely means that the management wants to rest the players and does not want to risk any of them going into the T20 World Cup, or maybe they are not in the plans of the management. The team has also been selected and will have a proper understanding of the Indian conditions. This is what the head coach had to say:
Playing in the sub-continent is obviously very different to what we’re used to in New Zealand, so any opportunity we can get to expose our guys to those conditions can only be a good thing, especially prior to a T20 World Cup in the subcontinent.
T20I New Zealand Squad for India tour
- Batters: Mark Chapman, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, and Tim Robinson
- All-rounders: Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and James Neesham
- Wicketkeepers: Devon Conway
- Bowlers: Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and Ish Sodhi
Many of the main players would also be playing the ODI series, as Michael Bracewell will be the one who leads the team. Kyle Jamieson will be playing the ODI as well as the T20I series. Matt Henry, who was just purchased by the Chennai Super Kings, will miss out on the ODI series. Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, and Daryl Mitchell will be with the team in the ODI series as well for the New Zealand team.
ODI New Zealand Squad for India tour
- Batters: Mark Chapman, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, and Tim Robinson
- All-rounders: Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and Zak Foulkes
- Wicketkeepers: Devon Conway
- Bowlers: Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and Ish Sodhi