IND vs NZ: Shubman Gill rues tight schedule as India field rested squad for ODI series

Indian captain Shubman Gill rues the unavailability of a full-strength squad for selection for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand due to tight scheduling. The key Indian players, including Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, will miss all five One-Dayers starting Wednesday (Nov 4) at Eden Park in Auckland, while Gill and Test specialists, including KL Rahul, are also rested for the last two ODIs to prepare for the two Tests that follow.

The visitors have also named two ODI squads, with Gill leading the Men in Blue in the first three games, while T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer will captain India in the remaining two matches.

Considering that two major cricket events are scheduled next year: the 2027 WTC Final in June and the 2027 ODI World Cup in October-November, Gill said that had One-Dayers been scheduled before the T20Is, with Tests to follow at the end, that scenario would have helped India prepare better for the showpiece event in Africa late next year.

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As things stand, the five One-Dayers are sandwiched between the concluded T20Is and the two-match Test series, with red-ball cricket being as important considering India’s position on the current WTC cycle.

"Both [the ODI and Test series] are very important," Gill said on the eve of the first ODI in Auckland. "If it was in my hands and all the players were fit, I would have liked to have all the players who we are looking at playing during the World Cup [for the full ODI series], but the two Test matches are also very important.

"If it had been one-day first, then T20, and then Test, we could have played all five [ODI] matches [with our strongest squad], but [we couldn't do this] because the gap between the one-day [series] and Test matches was very small,” he added.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s 2-1 Test series win over Australia at home made it tougher for India, who are sitting in fourth place on the WTC standings. With New Zealand, South Africa and Australia acquiring the top three places, respectively, Gill’s Indian Test side must win its remaining seven matches to press its case for a spot in the WTC Final in June next year.

After the two-match Test series against New Zealand, India will host Australia for five Tests at home in January-February next year. Australia will host New Zealand for four Tests during their summer. South Africa, however, will face Bangladesh and England at home before taking on Sri Lanka in an away Test series early in 2027.

"Both [the ODI and Test series] are very important, but unfortunately, because we are playing the One-Dayers in between [the T20Is and Tests], the players in the Test team are having to miss the last two One-Dayers,” Gill noted.

IND vs NZ ODI Series Schedule -

• 1st ODI - Auckland (Nov 4)
• 2nd ODI - Wellington (Nov 7)
• 3rd ODI - Hamilton (Nov 10)
• 4th ODI - Mount Maunganui (Nov 13)
• 5th ODI - Mount Maunganui (Nov 15)