Shubman Gill, KL Rahul & Others In India's Test Jersey (Source: AFP Photos)India will travel to New Zealand very soon for a tour that will include T20Is, Tests, and ODIs. The India tour of New Zealand will begin with five T20Is, starting from October 22 onwards. After that, the ODIs will follow from November 4, while the two-Test series will get underway on November 19.The two-match Test series will be significant for the India, who drew their second and final Test match in Sri Lanka last month, leaving their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes hanging by a thread.Even though the chances are still there for India, led by Shubman Gill, they heavily rely on KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, if he gets picked, to set the tone for others.Trent Boult Picks KL Rahul Over Shubman GillOne of New Zealand’s all-time greats, Trent Boult, currently playing in ETPL 2026 for Edinburgh Castle Rockers and making headlines, recently spoke to the Press Trust of India (PTI). There, Boult openly said he is a ‘big fan’ of KL Rahul and also mentioned Yashasvi Jaiswal’s name as someone to look out for during India vs New Zealand Tests. However, there was no mention of Gill, who will be leading India’s Test squad, as well as the ODIs.“I’m always a big fan of KL Rahul and his style of batsmanship. So he’s a big player at the top of the order for the Indian side. And yeah, I believe Jaiswal is there as well. Two classy batters to see bat. So yeah, be interesting to see,” Boult told PTI.Also Read: Search For India's Third Test Opener: The Race Beyond KL Rahul And Yashasvi Jaiswal"It's always an exciting chance when the Indian team comes down to play Test cricket in New Zealand," he added.Gill Vs Rahul- What Do The Test Numbers Say?Neither Gill nor Rahul has played a single Test match in New Zealand so far in their respective careers. At home, Gill averages 32.4 against the Kiwis in Tests, scoring 324 runs in 10 innings.Rahul, on the other hand, had poorer form than Gill in terms of playing Tests against New Zealand, having only made 38 runs across four innings.Overall, Shubman Gill has 3043 Test runs, with 11 hundreds and nine half-centuries in 77 innings. Rahul, meanwhile, has 12 centuries and 21 fifties in 122 innings, having made 4288 runs.Has India’s Squad For New Zealand Tests Been Announced?No, the BCCI has not announced India’s squad for New Zealand tour yet, for any of the ODIs, T20Is, or Tests. India will be in action from tomorrow (September 13), with three T20Is against Afghanistan.After that, they will play against West Indies, with three ODIs and five T20Is scheduled between the September-end and October-mid window.The BCCI has not even named India’s squads for the West Indies series yet.Also Read: Sri Lanka Squad For Asian Games 2026 Announced; RCB Star Included
