India Squad For New Zealand ODIs: Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya Set To Be Rested - Report States Why

With an eye on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in February, senior India pros Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are reportedly set to be rested for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in January. But the duo is likely to be back for the five-match T20I leg, in preparation or the 20-over showpiece.

The Indian team management, Cricbuzz reported, had decided to keep Bumrah and Pandya out of the ODI plans. Both players will be pivotal to defending champions India's campaign at the World Cup, which will be played at home and in Sri Lanka.

Pandya has not played a one-day international since the ICC Champions Trophy final in March due to injury. For Bumrah, on the other hand, workload management is the constant concern, and he has not played an ODI in the last two years. The previous time the India pace spearhead took the field in the 50-over format was all the way back in the 2023 World Cup final.

But such a policy is imperative for Bumrah, as per several experts. Former India batter Robin Uthappa said recently that the "demanding action" and "high pace" put immense pressure on the speedster's body, and managing his workload was absolutely necessary to keep him match fit.

"He is an absolute match-winner, and managing his workload is crucial. Fast bowling is probably the toughest skill in the sport, and Bumrah does it at high pace with a demanding action." said Uthappa on JioStar's 'Cricket Live'.

"You want to protect that, but at the same time, you want him to play enough cricket. We've seen glimpses of his brilliance, and hopefully he can build consistency over the next few games heading into the World Cup," added the former India cricketer, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2022.

The ODI series against New Zealand starts on January 11 in Baroda. Rajkot and Indore will host the second and third games on January 14 and 18, respectively. That will be followed by the T20Is, in Nagpur (on January 21), Raipur (January 23), Guwahati (January 25), Visakhapatnam (January 28) and Thiruvananthapuram (January 31). The ODI squad is likely to be selected on January 4 or 5.

Meanwhile, the report added that Pandya was expected to represent Baroda in some more Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, so as to comply with the BCCI mandate of playing domestic games. Like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who turned out for Mumbai and Delhi, respectively in the first two VHT games, Pandya could play in two of the last three league matches for Baroda, slated for January 3, 6 and 8 in Rajkot.