Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi make T20I comeback for New Zealand series

India has made two key additions to its T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have been included, bringing fresh energy to a team dealing with injuries to Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar. Iyer will replace Tilak Varma for the first three T20Is. Tilak, who recently underwent surgery for an abdominal issue, will miss the initial matches, and his participation in the remaining two games will depend on his recovery and progress during training,

Meanwhile, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been named as a replacement for Washington Sundar, who suffered a side strain during the first ODI against New Zealand. The BCCI explained in their release, “Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset of discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at Vadodara on 11 January. He has been advised rest for a few days and will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management.”

Washington was also replaced in the ODI squad by Ayush Badoni for the remaining 50-over matches.

For Shreyas, this series marks a comeback to India’s T20I side after more than two years. He last played in December 2023 against Australia and has been in strong form in the IPL, leading Punjab Kings to the final last year. Bishnoi, who played in India’s home series against England last year, returns to the shortest format after some time away from selection.

India’s updated T20I squad

Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), and Ravi Bishnoi.