India Release Kuldeep Yadav at the Last Moment, Call Up Gurnoor Brar for Test Series Against New Zealand

India have made a big change to their squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been released from the squad and replaced by pacer Gurnoor Brar. The two-match Test series between New Zealand and India begins in Wellington on 19 November.

In a statement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Kuldeep had been released from the national team to play in ongoing domestic cricket in India, where the T20-format Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is currently being played.

Because Brar will play the Test series, he will not be available for the fifth and final ODI at Mount Maunganui tomorrow. The BCCI has not yet named a replacement for him for the final ODI. India currently lead the five-match ODI series 2-1.

It was Brar's outstanding performance in the ODI series on the current New Zealand tour that earned him the Test call-up. With 9 wickets, he is the series' highest wicket-taker: 3 wickets for 44 runs in the first match, a player-of-the-match 4 for 30 in the second, and 2 wickets in the fourth ODI.

With Gurnoor added, India's Test squad now has six specialist pacers. Alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, the pace attack includes Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep and Brar, with pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy also in the squad. With Kuldeep Yadav left out, the spin department rests on two spin-bowling all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

Questions remain over the pacers' form and fitness. Bumrah has had little match practice since the IPL, where he took only 4 wickets in 13 matches, and he has not played a Test since November 2025. Prasidh Krishna, returning from injury, took two wickets bowling only five overs in one match. Akash Deep was sidelined for a long period earlier this year with a back injury.

Mohammed Siraj's recent performance has not been very consistent either. He took four wickets bowling in India A's only innings in the second four-day match against New Zealand A. He was in the squad for the first four ODIs against New Zealand but was not given a place in the playing eleven.

The BCCI gave India another piece of good news: wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has joined the squad in Wellington to prepare for the Test series. Cricinfo had reported that the BCCI medical team declared him fit after he recovered from a side strain injury. With Brar unavailable for the final ODI, Siraj could get a chance in the eleven.

India's announced squad for the two Tests: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar.