Gurnoor Brar replaces Kuldeep in India's squad for NZ Tests
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made a major change to the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against New Zealand, starting November 19. The board has released wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the squad, allowing him to return to domestic cricket. In his place, young pacer Gurnoor Brar has been added to the red-ball set-up after impressing in the ongoing ODI series. Here are further details.
Rising star
Brar's stellar show in the ODI series
Brar's inclusion in the Test squad comes after his stellar show in the ongoing ODI series.
The young pacer has been one of India's most effective bowlers, taking nine wickets in three innings so far.
Overall, his first 13 ODI outings have resulted in 23 wickets, though his economy of 6.56 is a tad higher.
He now has a chance to make a mark in red-ball cricket.
Chances
Brar to miss final ODI
Kuldeep, who was part of India's original Test squad, has had limited opportunities on this tour.
He got his first chance in the fourth match against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, where he went wicket-less.
Now, with Brar's inclusion in the Test squad, Kuldeep is likely to feature in the final ODI match on Sunday.
The former will miss the fifth game.
Squad update
A look at updated India Test squad
Along with Brar's inclusion and Kuldeep's release, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has also joined the members of the Test squad in Wellington.
India's updated Test squad: Shubman Gill [C], Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul [VC], Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant [WK], Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar.
India's updated ODI squad for the fifth ODI: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
Career highlights
A look at Brar's First-Class career
Brar made his First-Class debut in 2022 and has since taken 71 wickets in the red-ball format from 22 games.
This includes five four-wicket hauls as he also owns two fifers. Brar averages 26.40 in FC cricket.
He had a stellar domestic season, which earned him his maiden Team India call-up for a one-off Test against Afghanistan earlier this year.
Although he didn't play that match, he went on to feature in a three-match ODI series where he picked up seven wickets.