India Names Strong T20I Squad for New Zealand Series; Spin Trio of Kuldeep, Varun, and Bishnoi Included

The BCCI has announced a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, set to begin on January 21. The squad, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, features a formidable lineup of IPL stars, with a particular emphasis placed on spin bowling depth.

Key IPL spinners like Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi have all been included, alongside the all-round capabilities of Axar Patel, who has been named vice-captain. This selection strategy suggests the team management is keen to test various spin combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup, ensuring India has multiple high-quality options to deploy across different venues.

The squad also confirms the inclusion of pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, alongside exciting batting talents such as Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Shreyas Iyer (for the first three matches). The series, which will be played across Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram, is viewed as a crucial preparatory phase for the global T20 event.