Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who was part of the initial 16-member squad, has been ruled out due to injury. Iyer was suffering from back pain during the third and last ODI versus Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar has been named as the like-to-like replacement for Iyer.
“Team India batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury. He will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further assessment and management. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Rajat Patidar as replacement for Shreyas Iyer,” a BCCI statement read.
Patidar is yet to get his India cap but has been part of the limited-overs squads before. However, it is unlikely that the Madhya Pradesh batter will make his debut in the first two matches of the series as Iyer’s injury will open the gates for Suryakumar Yadav.
On the other hand, Ishan Kishan is now favourite to replace KL Rahul as the latter has opted out of the New Zealand ODIs to get married to Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty.
The first ODI between India and New Zealand is slated to take place in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18.
India’s updated squad for New Zealand ODIs:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Rajat Patidar.
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