India vs New Zealand 2026: 3 surprise picks in India's squad
From uncapped talents to returning faces, India's squad for New Zealand has thrown up some notable surprises.
1. Anshul Kamboj
Anshul Kamboj, born on December 6, 2000, in Karnal, Haryana, is a right-arm medium-pace bowling all-rounder who represents Haryana in domestic cricket. At 25 years of age, Kamboj has been named in both the ODI squad for the first three matches and the Test squad for the New Zealand tour. He received his Test cap, numbered 318, making him one of the more recent additions to India's Test fold.
His inclusion across formats on this tour is an unexpected development, as Kamboj is not a widely discussed name in mainstream selection conversations. The selectors appear to have rewarded his consistent domestic showings with a multi-format opportunity. India will be looking to see how Kamboj performs in New Zealand conditions, which are known to assist seam and swing bowling, a style that suits his skill set.
Shubman Gill's squad for the New Zealand tour 2026
Squad for the New Zealand tour (ODIs 1-3):
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (WK), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.
Squad for the New Zealand tour (ODIs 4-5):
Shreyas Iyer (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (WK, VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
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