Mumbai, October 11
India named a 15-player squad on Friday for the upcoming three Tests against New Zealand, beginning on October 16 in Bengaluru.
The 15-player squad resembles the one that was fielded for India's recent 2-0 Test series sweep over Bangladesh.
India have cut down the size of the squad from 16 to 15.
Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who was named in the squad for both Tests and was later released from the second match, has been left out.
For the Bangladesh Tests, with Rohit Sharma leading the side, India left the position of vice-captain vacant. But this time, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been officially appointed as Rohit's deputy for the three Tests.
Experienced pacer, Mohammed Shami's much-awaited return from a long injury layoff continues. Since the conclusion of last year's ODI World Cup, Shami has been working his way to recover from an ankle injury that required surgery.
Young Delhi-tearaway Mayank Yadav, who recently made his debut for India in the T20I format against Bangladesh, has been named as a travelling reserve alongside Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy and Prasidh Krishna.
Notably, the young all-rounder Nitish also made his debut for India during the ongoing T20I series against Bangladesh.
Both teams have had a contrasting run in the longest format of cricket. New Zealand have been touring Asia since September and are yet to win a single game in the subcontinent.
They kicked off the tour with a one-off Test against Afghanistan, which was entirely washed away due to the weather conditions. The Kiwis left for Sri Lanka to compete in a two-match Test series before squaring off against India.
New Zealand suffered a 2-0 series whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka. The Tim Southee-led side was blanked in the opening Test that went right down the wire with a 63-run defeat.
In the second Test, Kamindu Mendis made the headlines with his swashbuckling performance, helping Sri Lanka to a massive victory by an innings and 154 runs.
Following the conclusion of the series, Southee decided to step down from the captaincy, and Tom Latham will lead New Zealand during the three Tests against India.
The hosts, on the other hand, stamped their authority by producing memorable performances in Chennai and especially in Kanpur. India are yet to lose a Test series at home since 2012.
The opening Test will begin on October 16 in Bengaluru. The second Test will start on October 24 in Pune. The series will conclude in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, with the third Test commencing on November 1.
India's squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Travelling reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.