Shubman Gill Doubtful For Final 2 New Zealand ODIs, India To Pick New Captain

Iyer likely to replace Gill as ODI captain for NZ matches [Source: AFP]The Indian team is set to play a white-ball home series against the West Indies, but once the tour ends, the Men in Blue will travel to New Zealand for a riveting all-format tour. The T20I format will take place first, followed by the ODIs, and then the Tests.Shreyas Iyer will lead India in the T20Is, and Shubman Gill will captain the ODI and Test series; however, Iyer appears set to replace Gill as ODI captain for the final two matches at Bay Oval.Iyer likely to replace Gill as ODI captain for final two matchesIn the latest development, sports journalist Abhishek Tripathi has reported that Iyer is likely to replace Gill as the ODI captain for the final two games. The reason is that the Test series commences three days after the final ODI match, and the Test-bound players are likely to start the red-ball preparation before the first game in Wellington.Apart from the ODIs, Gill also leads the Test side, and with India still in the hunt to reach the WTC finals, the management wants to take no chances, as all the Test-bound players will start their preparations in order to get accustomed to the Wellington conditions.In such a scenario, Shreyas Iyer is expected to lead the ODI team in Gill’s absence as Team India aims to beat the home side in order to prepare themselves for the 2027 ODI World Cup.Players who are likely to leave the ODI team alongside GillThe report also mentioned that several players alongside Gill could be on their way to join the Test team, and might not take part in the final two ODI matches against the Kiwis.Also Read: Rachin Ravindra's Replacement - Players Who Can Get Into New Zealand T20I Squad vs IndiaThe likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Reddy, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are players who could play both ODIs and Tests, and while not all of them, some of them could be on their way to join Gill in order to prepare for the Test series.It also means that the ODI team for the final two matches could be severely depleted, and the team has to play out of their skins to beat the Kiwis on their home ground.Gautam Gambhir-led coaching department to split as wellWith the ODI World Cup next year and a chance to reach the WTC final, India are taking both ODIs and the Test format seriously, and hence, the management wants the side to be fully prepared for the Kiwi challenge across formats.As a result, not only the players, but the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching department will also split into two groups. The Abhishek Tripathi report stated that two from Gautam Gambhir, Sitanshu Kotak, Morne Morkel, and Subhadeep Ghosh will stay with the ODI team, and two will join the Test side before the first game in Wellington.Which coach will join which coaching setup is yet to be decided, but expect the split to take place after the third ODI of the tour.Also Read: All Records Made By Shafali Verma With 1st Hundred In Women's Asian Games 2026 Semifinal