The biggest headline of the day belongs to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. After missing out in the T20I squad against West Indies and Australia, the seasoned campaigner is back for the T20I series against New Zealand which will be played next year.
Rishabh Pant has been axed from the squad and he will return to India from the Test squad. MS Dhoni will assume the role of the primary wicket-keeper.
The selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India also announced full-strength squads for the one-day international series against Australia and New Zealand. Dinesh Karthik, who has enjoyed a good run in the recent past, will be the second wicket-keeper in the squad.
Kedar Jadhav, who is an established member of the 50-over side, makes a comeback for the shortest format of the game, while Washington Sundar and Shreyas Iyer have been axed. All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was out of action for close to three months due to a back injury, has been included for the three-match ODI series against Australia and then the limited-overs series which follows in New Zealand.
India's squad for T20I series against New Zealand: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed
India's squad for ODI series against Australia and New Zealand: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami
The first match of the ODI series in Australia will be played on January 12 in Sydney. The next two games will take place in Adelaide and Melbourne on January 15 and 18.
The team will then hop across to New Zealand for a 5-match ODI series will be played in Napier, Mount Maungani (2nd and 3rd ODI), Hamilton and Wellington. The three-match T20I series will take place in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.
