New Zealand have announced their ODI and T20I squads for the January tour of India. The Blackcaps will play three ODIs here between January 11 and 18, followed by five T20Is from the 21st to the 31st.
The T20I squad carried a similar look to the one that beat West Indies recently, with Tim Seifert and Nathan Smith left out, and Bevon Jacobs, Glenn Phillips, and Matt Henry brought back, as the Kiwis aim to fine-tune their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The ODIs carried more wholesale changes. Captain Mitchell Santner, Smith, Mark Chapman, Tom Latham, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Rachin Ravindra, and Blair Tickner have all been left out.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in its release said Santner has been picked only in the
T20 squad as part of his recovery from a groin injury, while Latham and Henry miss the ODI series due to personal reasons and injury rehab, respectively; Smith, Tickner, and Chapman were not considered for ODIs as they continue return-to-play programmes.
The board confirmed Ben Sears is also working through his rehab, and T20 World number one pacer Jacob Duffy and Ravindra have been rested from the ODI series after a heavy workload.
The absences have allowed opportunities for left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, who has earned his maiden call-up, uncapped Kristian Clarke, and the recent Test debutant, Michael Rae. Senior all-rounder Michael Bracewell will lead the young squad in Santner’s absence.
“Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand “A” experience under his belt. He’s consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons,” Head Coach Rob Walter said.
Meanwhile, Kane Williamson, who has retired from T20Is, won’t be part of the ODI squad either. NZC said it was due to his commitments with the SA20 league, where he’s contracted with Durban’s Super Giants.
New Zealand T20I squad for India series: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi
New Zealand ODI squad for India series: Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young
