Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi added to India’s T20I squad for New Zealand series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday, January 16, announced that Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Ashwin have been named as Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar’s replacements for the forthcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to start on Wednesday, January 21, in Nagpur.

Moving into the details, Bishnoi is all set to replace the injured Sundar in all five games of the series, while Iyer is expected to be a part of the squad only in the first three games, as Tilak is likely to make his comeback in the last two fixtures.

While Iyer last played a T20I against Australia way back in December 2023, Bishnoi’s last outing came in February 2025 against England at home. Tilak suffered an abdominal injury while playing a VHT game earlier this month, and he has undergone surgery. Doctors have advised at least four weeks of rest for the middle-order batter.

“Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset of discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara on January. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” the BCCI statement said.

“The all-rounder has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Ravi Bishnoi as his replacement. The Men’s Selection Committee has also added Shreyas Iyer to the T20I squad for the first three matches as a replacement for the injured Tilak Varma,” the statement added.

India’s updated T20I squad vs NZ: 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.

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