New Zealand announce white ball squads for India tour: Bracewell to lead in OdIs, Santner returns in T20Is

New Zealand announced their ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of India on Tuesday, December 23. Michael Bracewell has been named captain of New Zealand's ODI squad, with several senior players missing the three-match ODI series. Mitchell Santner will return to the T20I setup and will lead the Kiwis in the five-match T20I series against the hosts.

Santner has been rested from the ODI series alongside pacer Matt Henry and batter Mark Chapman. Senior batter Kane Willaimson will also miss the three-match ODI series against Shubman Gill & Co, which gets underway on January 11. Williamson has already retired from T20Is and will not be part of the T20I series.

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The former New Zealand captain has decided to skip the ODI series against India to prioritise his commitments in the SA20 league, which clashes with the Kiwis' tour of India. In his absence, Bracewell will rely on the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips for leadership guidance in the ODI series.

Santner has been rested from the ODI series to recover fully from a groin injury. Meanwhile, pacer Kyle Jamieson has returned to the ODI setup after getting sidelined due to a back injury earlier this year. Tom Latham, who struck back-to-back tons in the recently concluded third Test against West Indies, will also miss the ODI series against India due to the birth of his third child.

In the absence of several senior players, New Zealand have handed maiden ODI call-up to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennoz, while including several new names like Josh Clarkson, Adi Ashok, Nick Kelly and Michael Rae in the squad.

New Zealand ODI squad for India series:

Michael Bracewell (captain), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young

Santner will return in the T20I series against India to lead the Black Caps. Chapman and Henry have also been included in the squad. However, New Zealand will miss the services of Blair Tickner, Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke, who are all recovering from respective injuries. In their absence, the Kiwis have recalled Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson in the squad.

All-rounder James Neesham and spinner Ish Sodhi have also been recalled in New Zealand's T20I squad for the India series. New Zealand has confirmed that they will announce the squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 in January. The visitors will be hoping to utilise the India series to test their combinations and prepare for the World Cup, which is set to be played in India and Sri Lanka next year.

New Zealand's T20I squad for India series:

Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi