India eye Suryansh Shedge for New Zealand ODIs after Australia A heroics

Suryansh Shedge, the 23-year-old Mumbai seam-bowling all-rounder, has emerged as one of the leading candidates for a maiden ODI call-up as India prepare their squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. His List A outings against Australia A have placed him squarely in the frame ahead of the official announcement.

Shedge claimed four wickets in the opening match of the Australia A series and then contributed a score of 66 in the final one-dayer, demonstrating his worth as a genuine two-dimensional cricketer. Those numbers carry extra weight given that he had been sidelined with a hamstring injury before the series and was making his return to competitive action.

Shedge already holds T20I caps at international level, having debuted for India on June 28, 2026 against Ireland and featuring last on July 26, 2026 against Zimbabwe, both matches coming during the tour of England. A berth in the New Zealand ODI squad would represent his first appearance in the 50-over format for the senior side.

“Shedge has a very high chance of making it to the ODI squad simply because Nitish Kumar Reddy will have an important role to play in the Test series as the fourth seamer and a floater in the lower order. Hence, Reddy won’t play all the ODIs as he has to prepare for the red-ball games,” a BCCI source said as quoted by India Today.

The tight turnaround between the white-ball and red-ball legs of the tour explains the thinking. India’s New Zealand assignment opens on October 22 with five T20Is, before five ODIs get under way on November 4 in Auckland. The fifth ODI in Tauranga falls on November 15, and the first Test in Wellington begins just four days later on November 19. November 16 is a designated travel day, leaving Test specialists with only two training sessions on November 17 and 18 to prepare for the World Test Championship fixture.

New Zealand Cricket approached the BCCI to extend the ODI leg by adding extra matches, a move that compressed the preparation window for India’s Test players considerably. The interim selection committee, chaired by Pragyan Ojha, is understood to be considering an expanded ODI contingent to give those players adequate breathing space before the red-ball series begins.

Hardik Pandya’s extended absence from the game through a run of physical setbacks has left the all-rounder slot across formats short of depth, which further strengthens the case for Shedge’s inclusion in the ODI group.

Captain Shubman Gill is expected to shift his focus to red-ball preparations once the third ODI concludes on November 10, adding another variable to how Ojha’s committee constructs the squad for the final two matches of the series.

The BCCI has not yet confirmed a date for the ODI squad announcement. Shedge is a strong contender at this stage, not a confirmed selection, and the final call rests entirely with the selection committee. His recent form against Australia A, combined with the structural demands of a congested itinerary, makes him one of the more compelling names under consideration.