Currently preparing for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series vs New Zealand. The roster saw some changes, with Jasprit Bumrah named as vice-captain.

In a surprising move, the selectors didn't include Mohammed Shami in the squad. The experienced pacer has been out of action since the 2023 ODI World CUp final in November last year. He underwent surgery last year after suffering an injury during the World Cup. He will be hoping to make his comeback in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Why did Mohammed Shami miss out?

As the matches will be in India, Rohit Shamra will be reliant on his spin department which consists of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Meanwhile, the pace department will consist of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The spin-friendly wickets in India has given Shami more time to recover. Yash Dayal, who had received his maiden Test call-up for the Bangladesh series, als missed out on the squad.

India didn't have a designated vice-captain for the Bangladesh series, but Bumrah has done that role in the past. He has also served as captain once. Meanwhile, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddu have been named as travelling reserves.

Fans will be hoping for Shami's return in November. His highest bowling speed is 153.2 km/h which came vs Australia in the 2014 series at MCG. His success lies in his wrist with his run-up and action being smooth, His wicket-taking ability is lethal, alongwith his reverse swing, and it makes him unplayable at times.

India are currently on top of the WTC table, and New Zealand are in sixth position. Winning the series will see India cement their position in the table ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They will be hoping to reach their third WTC final.

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