Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a surprise return to India's T20I setup after nearly four years, with the senior pacer named in the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
The Men's Selection Committee has also announced the India A squad for the tour, with India A set to play three Multi-Day matches against New Zealand A.
Shreyas Iyer will captain India in the five-match T20I series, with Tilak Varma named his deputy. The squad also includes Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir.
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Bhuvneshwar's return is the biggest talking point from the selection.
The fast bowler last represented India in an international match nearly four years ago. He was recently named captain of India's squad for the Hong Kong Sixes, but his return to the T20I setup means the team will now have to look for a new captain for that tournament.
The senior pacer has continued to remain a key performer in the IPL. He has picked up 45 wickets across the last two IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who won back-to-back titles.
Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the New Zealand T20Is, while Bhuvneshwar will be joined in the pace attack by Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialist spinners in the squad.
Hardik Pandya Missing Again
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya continues to remain out of the India setup due to a recurring injury. He was recently named in India A's ODI squad for the series against Australia A but was ruled out after suffering another injury, with Suryansh Shedge called up in his place.
India have been rotating their all-rounder options lately, opening the door for players such as Naman Dhir. The 25-year-old recently made his international debut in both ODI and T20I cricket.
India A Squad For New Zealand Tour
The India A squad includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod and Mukesh Kumar.
Dhruv Jurel has been named captain, while Rishabh Pant's inclusion is subject to fitness. The squads for India's upcoming ODI and Test series against New Zealand will be announced at a later date.
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