The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming New Zealand series starting from January 11. The squad included Shreyas Iyer as the vice captain of the team. However, they have clarified that the participation of Shreyes depends on the fitness clearance of the batter.
If you are not aware, let me tell you that Shreyas Iyer has not played competitive cricket since he was injured during a match while fielding in Sydney, Australia, on October 25, 2025.
According to some reports, he is slated to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy match on January 6 in Jaipur. He will be showing up for his home team, Mumbai, against Himachal Pradesh. This match is like a fitness test for him. He will be proving his fitness and getting clearance. If he is cleared to play, he will be immediately rushed to Vadodara to join the India squad. India is slated to visit New Zealand from January 11.
If he is not fully fit, then he will play another Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Punjab in Jaipur on January 8 before connecting to the India squad.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, if Shreyas Iyer fails his fitness test for the New Zealand ODIs, then Ruturaj Gaikwad will be drafted as a replacement. Here is a quote from the report.
“In the unlikely event of Iyer not getting clearance, the selectors will draft Ruturaj Gaikwad into the squad. But the chances of that are very remote.”
Gaikwad is a top-order batter, but he batted at number 4 in the first two ODIs against South Africa. He made 8 and 105 runs in his innings against South Africa in November-December 2025. However, he was not included in the upcoming series against New Zealand.
Gaikwad is also playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Maharashtra, and he registered scores of 124 and 66.
