India is touring New Zealand for a full-length series across all three formats, starting with the first T20I on October 22, 2026, at Hagley Oval
Veteran swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been recalled to the T20I squad at age 36 following a stellar 28-wicket IPL 2026 season
The challenging seaming conditions in New Zealand will test India's pace depth, particularly in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the T20 squad
India travel to New Zealand later this month for a full-length tour across all three formats. It comprises five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The opening T20I is on October 22 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval. The T20Is then move to Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton, and the ODI leg opens in Auckland on November 4.
The contrast with home conditions could hardly be sharper. After weeks of flat surfaces and big totals, India’s bowlers now go to a country where swing and seam decide matches. A tour that covers every format, with the Tests still to come, will show how deep India’s bowling stock really is once the pitch stops helping batters.
Across the three formats, India’s bowling has been good enough with Jasprit Bumrah and exposed without him. Bumrah’s workload is carefully managed, and he was left out of the T20I squad because of the ODI series and Test matches that follow. When he is absent, the gaps show quickly.
West Indies’ record chase of 252 in Ranchi, powered by Shai Hope’s unbeaten 102 and Sherfane Rutherford’s 84 off 37 balls, showed how fast an attack can unravel without its leader. A new crop of bowlers, including Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana, is still finding its feet at this level. They are held back by injuries and by pitches that give them little help and punish any slip in length.
The Test side shows a similar shift, with senior bowlers fading and younger ones taking their places. Last year’s tour of England was a good sign for the new group. India drew the five-match series 2-2, and Mohammed Siraj took 23 wickets. The tour also exposed how thin the depth can be. Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh picked up injuries before the fourth Test, and Anshul Kamboj made his Test debut at Old Trafford.
New Zealand is a stiffer challenge, with its seaming tracks and a home side that knows how to use them. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in the India A squad for the red-ball matches there, which gives the batters some time to adjust before the Tests.
In limited-overs cricket, selectors have turned to experience. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 36, returns to the T20I squad after a four-year absence; his last T20I for India was in November 2022. The recall follows a strong IPL.
He took 28 wickets at an economy of 7.95 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026. The selectors have, in effect, decided that a new-ball swing bowler is worth recalling, even at 36.
That choice raises a question about the young bowlers India has produced recently. Many of them are hit-the-deck bowlers who do well on flat tracks but are not natural swing bowlers.
Do We Have Another Bhuvneshwar Kumar?
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun was asked by Outlook India, why India keep producing that type, and why a veteran like Bhuvneshwar was needed in New Zealand. He rejected the premise:
“I beg to differ. I think there are enough young bowlers in India who can swing the ball. And. It is for the selectors and the team management to identify those bowlers. But if you ask me, are there enough young bowlers who can swing the ball? Yes, there are enough young bowlers who can swing the ball. And… Anyone who’s playing for the country, if the conditions suit one particular kind of bowling, I think, they should be able to exploit that."
"They should be trained to exploit those conditions. That is the biggest challenge playing for the country. You’re competing with the best in the world, and when you’re competing with the best in the world, you have to learn to adapt and change According to the conditions, prevailing conditions, that is the biggest challenge for any bowler.”
What Is Happening To Harshit Rana?
Arun was also asked about Rana, whom he has coached personally. The pacer has not sustained his early breakout and has struggled to stay fit over the past year. He was asked whether Rana can become a regular in all three formats and what he must do to stay fitter. Arun said:
“This is… I think this is a question that, definitely the CoE or the National Cricket Academy Center of Excellence would. be able to answer, and the team management. If you ask me about Harshit Rana’s ability and talent, yes, I’m impressed with it. But again, a talent alone will not take you places, especially for a fast bowler. the fitness culture and the fitness that you have is going to get the best out of the abilities that one possesses."
"And the sooner… the early setbacks in Harshit Rana’s career should prove a great lesson for him to spend that much time on his fitness. There is no question of his ability, the only question is fitness.”
India’s bowlers will need both skill and fitness in New Zealand. Whether the new group can deliver without Bumrah will define the tour.
