Prasidh Krishna Ruled Out of New Zealand ODI Series, Mohammed Siraj Added to India A Squad

New Delhi, Oct 30: India pacer Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out of the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning November 4, as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has been added to the India A squad for the second four-day match against New Zealand A, starting Saturday in Christchurch.

Prasidh sustained the injury during India's recent home ODI series against the West Indies. Although his inclusion in the squad for the New Zealand assignment was subject to fitness clearance, the right-arm pacer needs additional time to regain the workload required for competitive cricket, the BCCI said.

However, the 29-year-old remains in contention for the two-match Test series against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on November 19. Subject to clearing the Return to Play (RTP) assessment, Prasidh will join India A for the third and final four-day match against New Zealand A, starting November 7 in Lincoln. The game is expected to provide him with valuable match practice ahead of the Test series.

Siraj, who is part of India's ODI squad, will join the India A setup for the second four-day fixture in Christchurch. Pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will remain with the senior team for the first ODI before linking up with India A for the final four-day match.

India's squad for the first three ODIs will be led by Shubman Gill, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among the senior players. Shreyas Iyer will captain the side for the fourth and fifth matches.

The ODI series will serve as an important assignment for India ahead of the subsequent Test contests, while the India A fixtures will offer returning and fringe players an opportunity to gain match readiness.

India A squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Rathod, R Smaran, Dhruv Jurel (C/WK), Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Shikhar Mohan, Mukesh Choudhary, Mukesh Kumar, Manav Suthar and Kumar Kushagra (WK).