3 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah should have played ODI series vs New Zealand
With a World Cup on the horizon and India's pace attack stretched thin, resting Bumrah from all five ODIs raises serious questions.
1. Mitigating the current pace attack crisis
India's pace resources for this tour are already under strain. Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the ODI leg after sustaining a left hamstring injury during the home series against West Indies, with the BCCI confirming the squad change on October 30, 2026. Krishna will undergo a return-to-play assessment and could rejoin the squad for the third four-day match against New Zealand A if cleared.
Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, has been directed towards India A red-ball duties for the second four-day match against New Zealand A, limiting his availability across the full ODI programme. Nitish Kumar Reddy is part of the squad only for the opening match in Auckland before returning to the India A setup. With Arshdeep Singh also managing a recent shoulder injury, Bumrah's presence across all five matches would have given the bowling unit a proven spearhead on grounds where short boundaries and favourable batting conditions can quickly expose an inexperienced attack.
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