T20 World Cup panic!! Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya RULED OUT of....
Two of India's most crucial players in white-ball cricket, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, have won numerous matches for the team but are known to be prone to injuries. The Indian team management might keep them away from the ODIs against New Zealand to ensure their presence for the World Cup.
The Indian team will enter the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the defending champions and would want to excel under home conditions. The team management is hence making some precautionary calls ahead of the marquee tournament.
Ahead of the ICC event, India will host the Blackcaps for a white-ball series starting from the 11th of January. The series includes three ODI matches followed by a five-match T20I series.
Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah to be rested for New Zealand ODIs
It is understood that Indian selectors and the team management have agreed upon resting all-rounder Hardik Pandya and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. However, both are expected to return for the T20Is, which immediately follow the one-dayers, as per Cricbuzz.
The decision not to consider Bumrah and Pandya for the three one-day games ahead of the T20Is is to keep them as fresh as possible ahead of the T20 World Cup. The two players have an extensive list of injuries in their careers. Hardik Pandya missed the 2023 World Cup, while Jasprit Bumrah missed the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy due to injuries.
Jasprit Bumrah has not played an ODI game since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, and Hardik Pandya has not played one since the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The five T20Is are in Nagpur (on January 21), Raipur (January 23), Guwahati (January 25), Visakhapatnam (January 28), and Thiruvananthapuram (January 31), and the two veterans will return in order to prepare for the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya to join Baroda for List A return
The ODI matches are scheduled on January 11 (in Baroda), 14 (Rajkot), and 18 (Indore), and Hardik Pandya, despite the chances of his non-selection for ODIs, is expected to make a Vijay Hazare Trophy return for Baroda in the final league matches.
Like many greats of the Indian team, Pandya is also returning to domestic List A cricket to serve the diktat from the BCCI, which forced even the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy. As per reports from Cricbuzz, Pandya might be playing three scheduled matches on the 3rd, 6th, and 8th, all in Rajkot.
Rohit Sharma ends domestic journey; Virat Kohli to continue
The former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who returned to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since 2018, smashed a stunning century against Sikkim but followed it with a golden duck in the second game. He has informed the MCA that he is done with domestic duties, and his focus will now be on the One-day series against New Zealand.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli, who played the first two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, will be back to feature in the penultimate league match against Railways before joining the Indian contingent for the ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer is desperate to play for India, announces Vijay Hazare Trophy return
Amid some leaving their spot, some other great names are on the verge of making a return. The Mumbai Cricket Association has announced that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has held a low profile until now, will be back for Mumbai and will also feature in a couple of games.
Also, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, the two T20I superstars for India, will also join Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. The two also played a great role in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign for Mumbai.
But amid all these players, the eyes of all cricket lovers would be searching for the Indian vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer. Iyer, who has been out of action since his spleen injury, is desperately trying to return ahead of the selections for the ODI side. He is expected to test his fitness with the match against Maharashtra; however, there is no clarity over whether he will play the ODIs or not.
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