Suthar, Saransh Jain, Brar miss India's NZ Test squad after Sri Lanka tour
India's Test squad for the New Zealand tour has a familiar core. Three names from the Sri Lanka tour in August are missing: left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, debutant-in-waiting Saransh Jain and Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar. The BCCI named a 16-man group led by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul as vice-captain. It gave no individual reasons for the omissions.
Suthar's absence is the one that has surprised people. The 24-year-old made his Test debut in June against Afghanistan and was Player of the Match, taking a six-wicket haul in the first innings. He kept his place for Sri Lanka and was the central figure in the Galle Test, where his ten wickets in the match set up a 165-run win. That was India's 600th Test victory. He then took six more wickets in the drawn second Test at Colombo. His record stands at 23 wickets from three Tests at an average of about 17, with two five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match.
The Colombo draw cost India valuable World Test Championship points, even though they took the series 1-0. India sit fifth in the 2025-27 WTC table, so every Test in New Zealand matters. The selectors appear to have prioritised pace depth and experienced spin-bowling all-rounders for conditions that rarely help slow bowlers.
Bumrah is the headline return. He was originally in the Sri Lanka squad but was withdrawn, and he is back for the New Zealand Tests. Akash Deep also returns after a long injury layoff. The other pace options are Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Anshul Kamboj and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Kamboj earns his place after his recent ODI debut at home against West Indies. That is a seam-heavy group, and it leaves less room for a third frontline spinner.
On the spin side, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav are in the squad. Sundar was unavailable for the first Test in Sri Lanka and is now back among the spin-bowling all-rounders. With two spinners who can also bat, plus Kuldeep, a young specialist like Suthar becomes the fourth choice. Saransh Jain, who earned his first Test call-up for Sri Lanka, also misses out.
Gurnoor Brar's case is slightly different. He is still in the plans, as he is in the squad for the first three ODIs against New Zealand. He has simply not been kept in the red-ball group.
The batting unit is largely unchanged from Sri Lanka. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Gill are all in. Padikkal scored 167 in the Galle win and was Player of the Match there. Rishabh Pant is included subject to fitness after an injury picked up while leading Rest of India in the Irani Cup. Dhruv Jurel is the second wicketkeeper and provides cover if Pant is not cleared.
This is a selection decision rather than a verdict on Suthar's ability. The Test series follows the T20I and ODI legs of the tour, so there is time for further changes. If conditions turn out to be flat or spin-friendly, or if Pant fails his fitness test, the balance could change. A Test average in the high teens is hard to ignore, and he is likely to stay in contention for home Tests later.
For India, the immediate question is whether the pace-heavy plan delivers WTC points in New Zealand. Suthar and Jain will wait for their next chance.