CHENNAI: Who among Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan will be picked as the second wicketkeeper? Will Mohammed Shami finally return in the Indian colours after their title-winning campaign during the 2025 Champions Trophy in March? What lies in the future for Mohammed Siraj as far as ODIs are concerned?
These are the few key questions which are expected to be answered when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announces India's 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against visiting New Zealand on Saturday. Vadodara will host the first match on January 11 followed by matches in Rajkot and Indore on January 14 and 18, respectively. That will be followed by a five-match T20I series with the opening game scheduled in Nagpur on January 21.
Shubman Gill, who is scheduled to play two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Punjab starting with a contest against Sikkim in Jaipur on Saturday, is expected to be back as the captain. His return may lead to ouster of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who opened with former skipper Rohit Sharma in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against South Africa and scored a hundred, from the playing XI. The Mumbai southpaw, however, could retain his place in the squad as a reserve opener.
Aside from Gill making an expected return, the biggest talking point ahead of the series has been Pant's place in the team. Pant last played an ODI way back in August 2024 against hosts Sri Lanka in Colombo. Incidentally, that was his only ODI with former India opener Gautam Gambhir as the chief coach. The tour to the Island nation was also Gambhir's first assignment as the coach of the Indian team. The left-hand batter was in the team as the reserve wicketkeeper during the South Africa series but didn't get a game.
With his numbers in the 50-over format below par (871 runs at an average of 33.5 from 31 matches), Pant had a chance to impress team management as well as selectors during the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). The Delhi captain, however, couldn't fare as he was expected to, scoring 121 runs at an average of 30.25 in four matches and managing a lone fifty.
His close rivals for the spot — Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan — meanwhile piled on runs to bolster their claims. Kishan led Jharkhand to their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali title, paving his return to the India T20I setup for the upcoming World Cup. He then hammered a century for Jharkhand in the only VHT match he played so far. Jurel, too, looks in sublime form as he scored an unbeaten 160 to amass 324 runs from four matches, which also included two fifties.
Given the fact that India only play the format next in June, the selectors might retain Pant in the team and give him a game to showcase his skills. However, they can also include either Jurel or Kishan in the squad to give them enough time to prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup with KL Rahul serving as the first wicketkeeper.
Another important discussion during the meeting could be related to pacers. It was learnt that Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested keeping the T20 World Cup in mind. If the selectors also decide to give a break to Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Rana, who will also play for Punjab like Gill on Saturday, as they both featured in the South Africa series, then Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami could come into the picture.
Siraj last played in the format during an away series in Australia and played only four SMAT matches for Hyderabad. Shami, on the contrary, has been toiling in the domestic circuit bowling more than 200 overs in the Ranji, Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has claimed 32 wickets from 15 matches till Friday and didn't hesitate to speak out his mind whenever questioned regarding his possible return to the Indian fold.
The selectors could also discuss on middle-order batters and that can bring Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan and Karnataka's Devdutt Padikkal into the picture as there is no clarity on vice-captain Shreyas Iyer's fitness, who is at the NCA and expected to return on January 5. Despite both having runs under their belt with Padikkal hitting three centuries in four matches, they may miss out on a place in the team. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who played the last ODI series and scored a hundred, is expected to retain his place. His performance in the VHT could have only convinced the selectors to give him a long rope.