Big blow for India: Star pacer ruled out of New Zealand ODI series due to injury

Prasidh Krishna, second right, celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies Keacy Carty during the first One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies, in Thiruvananthapuram. (PTI Photo)India's preparations for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand have suffered a setback, with pacer Prasidh Krishna ruled out of the five-match series, the BCCI confirmed on Friday.The right-arm pacer has not played competitive cricket since picking up an injury midway through the second ODI against the West Indies. According to the BCCI, he needs more time to build up his bowling workload before he can return to match action."Prasidh Krishna, whose availability for India's five-match ODI series against New Zealand was subject to fitness clearance, is ruled out of the ODI series. The right-arm pacer, who is recovering from the hamstring injury, will need additional time to build up the workload required to be ready for matches," the BCCI said in a media release.Prasidh will join the India A squad for the third and final four-day match against New Zealand A, subject to clearing the Return to Play (RTP) assessment. The match will give him an opportunity to get some game time ahead of the Test series.Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj will join India A for the second four-day match against New Zealand A, which begins on October 31, 2026.Nitish Kumar Reddy will remain with India's ODI squad for the first match against New Zealand, scheduled for November 4, 2026. He will then join India A for the third and final four-day match against New Zealand A to get match practice ahead of the two-Test series, which begins on November 19, 2026.India A's updated squad for the second four-day match against New Zealand A: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Rathod, R. Smaran, Dhruv Jurel [C] [WK], Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Shikhar Mohan, Mukesh Choudhary, Mukesh Kumar, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra [WK].India's updated ODI squad for the first three matches: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (only for the first ODI).India's updated ODI squad for the fourth and fifth matches: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.India tour of New Zealand – ODI seriesNo.DayDateTimeMatchVenue1Wednesday04-Nov-267:30 AM IST1st ODIAuckland2Saturday07-Nov-267:30 AM IST2nd ODIWellington3Tuesday10-Nov-267:30 AM IST3rd ODIHamilton4Friday13-Nov-267:30 AM IST4th ODIMount Maunganui5Sunday15-Nov-267:30 AM IST5th ODIMount MaunganuiIndia tour of New Zealand – Test series fixturesNo.Start DayDateTimeMatchVenue1Thursday19-Nov-263:30 AM IST1st TestWellington2Friday27-Nov-263:30 AM IST2nd TestChristchurch