IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer Makes T20I Comeback, Ravi Bishnoi Also Named – Check Updated Team India Playing XI

India has revealed the updated T20I team sharing relevant rescheduled series of the New Zealand tour, now with some important very much anticipated changes for the home fixtures and the build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The BCCI has announced that Shreyas Iyer will be reinstated to the T20I squad for the first three matches of the series after being absent from international T20 since December 2023.

Shreyas Iyer India T20i Squad

India’s poweful and very aggressive right handed opener Iyer is bound to provide the much needed strength in the team’s middle order losing his able mate Tilak Varma, who has been nursing an abdominal injury from which he is still recovering and therefore has been ruled out of at least the early matches. The return of Iyer has been timely as he has already shown that he is most valuable to the shortest format of the game with his aggressive batting, superb match awareness and experience in the middle order.

Shreyas Iyer India T20i Squad With Ravi Bishnoi

Iyer’s return is not the only step taken by the selectors as they have also brought in young Indian bowlers like leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi to the squad which means the Kiwi batsmen would have a tough time against the Indian spinners with new strategies. Bishnoi is being brought in as a replacement for all rounder Washington Sundar who has been ruled out of the whole T20I series after straining his side during the ongoing ODI leg of New Zealand’s tour. Medical scans and expert consultation confirmed Sundar’s injury and he has been advised rest and rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. Bishnoi’s inclusion provides India another wrist spin option along with the already established bowlers, which can be a plus point on a variety of home pitches.

Check Updated Team India Playing XI

Suryakumar Yadav (C), 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), Ravi Bishnoi

IND vs NZ T20

The two alterations demonstrate India’s strategy of keeping squad depth and balance as they make their final touches for next month’s T20 World Cup. January 21 is the date set for the first T20I to start, and this series will be a very important place for the players to try and prove they are worth taking to the big tournament that will be hosted by both India and Sri Lanka in February, which is also the case with the tourney. The new squad highlights the selectors’ attempts to control the players’ workloads and at the same time, manage injuries, and hit a strong New Zealand team in their own backyard with a competitive team.

Also Read: U19 World Cup 2026, India Vs Bangladesh LIVE Streaming: When, Where And How To Watch The Match LIVE