Indian T20I team under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy | PC- AFP
India are in New Zealand contesting a five-match series Down Under. So far, the Men in Blue, also the two-time reigning T20 World Champions, have played 36 T20Is this year, with seven more matches to go.
As the workload debate has become a constant in Indian cricket, a report has surfaced saying the BCCI wanted to rest a few senior players during the West Indies T20I series, but the call was denied.
BCCI wanted to rest senior players in WI T20Is, but they denied
According to MyKhel, the BCCI had proposed an option for the senior men present in Japan for the 2026 Asian Games to take a rest, as the board wanted to rest players on the fringes during the series against West Indies. However, it didn't happen.
Later, the Shreyas Iyer-led side were able to draw the series 2-2, as the last match was washed out in Bengaluru.
"The selectors had considered using the West Indies series to test India's reserve strength and give opportunities to players waiting on the fringes of the national side," the report stated.
"However, a number of senior players, participating at the Asian Games in Japan, reportedly conveyed that they were ready to continue playing five-T20l series against the West Indies," it added.
Four days after the conclusion of the IND vs WI T20Is, the Indian side were in Christchurch playing the first game against New Zealand. Notably, only one change has been made from the last squad, with Varun Chakravarthy coming in for Ravi Bishnoi.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among fringe players
Among the top names on the fringes of the T20I team are Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prince Yadav, and Nitish Kumar Yadav.
Although the latter two players still got their due chances against West Indies, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remained the only player among the three on the bench for all five matches between India and West Indies.
Against New Zealand, the southpaw was asked to sit out during the IND vs NZ 1st T20I. However, an unfortunate injury to Ishan Kishan has opened the door for Sooryavanshi for the second T20I at Christchurch on Saturday.
At just 15 years, the swashbuckling batter has become the darling of the nation, especially after his 776-run season in IPL 2026. In eight T20Is, he has tonked 246 runs at a strike rate of 186.36, including a Player of the Series performance in Zimbabwe.
