Test legend Cheteshwar Pujara advised the Indian management that veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be the team's first-choice new-ball bowler in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, which will start from October 22.

Pujara reckons that Bhuvneshwar can exploit movement in the air and off the pitch, making him suited for the conditions in New Zealand. Notably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made an India comeback after a long four-year gap; he was initially expected to make his India comeback during the fifth T20I against the West Indies in Bengaluru. However, rain washed out the match, leaving his return on hold.

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Now, the Meerut-born pacer will be seen featuring in the T20I series opener, which will take place in Christchurch.

India's T20I series schedule vs New Zealand

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India tour of New Zealand – T20I series fixtures

        

No.

Day

Date

Match

Venue

1

Thu

22-Oct-26

1st T20I

Christchurch

2

Sat

24-Oct-26

2nd T20I

Christchurch

3

Tue

27-Oct-26

3rd T20I

Wellington

4

Fri

30-Oct-26

4th T20I

Auckland

5

Sun

01-Nov-26

5th T20I

Hamilton

India's T20I squad vs New Zealand

Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson [WK], Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.