Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami (AP | PTI) Bombay: India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has recovered from a serious abdominal injury and is racing against time to return to the ODI squad as the national selection panel led by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar picks the squad for the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand at home.The series will begin in Vadodara on January 11, with the next two matches to be played in Rajkot on January 14 and Indore on January 18. It remains to be seen whether Iyer will be selected under the ‘subject to fitness’ clause, as was India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill for the home five-match T20I series after undergoing rehabilitation from a neck injury against South Africa in December. In fact, if Iyer passes the cut, the series could see both India’s ODI captain and vice-captain return to the fold after missing the previous series against South Africa due to injury.
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Gill, who is expected to play in the next two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Punjab along with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh, is expected to return to the ODI fold after missing the South Africa series due to injury.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!TOI learned that Iyer underwent a match simulation at BCCI’s Center of Excellence (CoE) on Friday and will undergo another on January 5 before receiving a ‘Return to Play’ certificate from the medical team. The 31-year-old could feature for Mumbai in their final Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Jaipur on January 8 before joining the Indian team in Vadodara for the first ODI.“Shreyas reported to the Center of Excellence on December 25. Since his arrival, he has shown significant improvement in strength and conditioning and has successfully completed four high-intensity skills sessions involving both batting and fielding. Based on his current physical condition and achieving rehabilitation milestones, he participated in a match simulation on January 2,” a source told TOI.BC on January 5 and will attend another one on January 5 before getting white-ball clearance.
Shreyas Iyer of India looks on from the team bench before the third match of the One Day International series between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: Ayush Kumar/Getty Images)
Iyer last featured in the ODI series against Australia in October, where he suffered a severe spleen injury during the third and final match in Sydney that forced hospitalization. The injury ruled him out of the ODI series against South Africa at home, as well as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.In his absence, Ruturaj Gaikwad was named at No.4 and he repaid his faith with an 83-ball 105 against South Africa in the second ODI at Raipur.
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India’s team selection for the upcoming ODI series against No. 2 team New Zealand just before the T20 World Cup would normally attract limited attention. However, Agarkar & Co’s ‘virtual’ selection meeting gained significance amid speculation that India’s Test vice-captain and wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant could be dropped despite not having played a single ODI in the last 18 months.
Bengaluru: Delhi captain Rishabh Pant plays a shot during the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket match between Gujarat and Delhi at the BCCI Center of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) (PTI12_26_2025_000117B)
Pant’s form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has been uneven, with 121 runs in four matches at an average of 30.25, including one fifty. Still, his removal from the second-wicket position could be considered harsh given that he last played an ODI on 7 August 2024 against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Pant has warmed the bench in ODIs for over a year, with KL Rahul being the first-choice wicketkeeper for the Champions Trophy 2025 and the recent home series against South Africa.
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If Pant is left out, the selectors may consider the form of Dhruva Jurel, who has scored 307 runs at an average of 153.50 in three matches, including an unbeaten 160 off 101 balls against Baroda. There is also a strong case for recalling Ishan Kishan, who recently returned to the Indian T20I side after topping the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy charts with 517 runs at 57.44, including two hundreds.
Shami in line for a comeback?
With workload management in mind, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested for the New Zealand series. In their absence, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami could return. Shami has been India’s standout performer in the last two ODI World Cups, taking 14 wickets in four matches in 2019 and finishing as the leading wicket-taker in 2023 with 24 wickets in seven matches.
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami engages in a discussion with members of the Bengal team during a practice session at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Stadium in Agartala, Tripura. (PTI Photo) (PTI11_04_2025_000253B)
Since returning from ankle and knee problems, Shami has impressed in domestic cricket, taking 20 wickets in four Ranji matches this season, along with strong returns in the SMAT and VHT. While selector Agarkar had earlier insisted that Shami was not fit, relations improved with selector RP Singh holding talks with the pacer during the Ranji match in Kolkata.Devdutta Padikkala’s name may also come up for discussion after his prolific Vijay Hazare Trophy run, but with Shubman Gill back and in form Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Karnataka opener may have to wait.
