India Squad for 4th and 5th ODI vs New Zealand: Shreyas Iyer Captain, Kushagra and Yash Thakur Get First Call-Ups

The India squad for 4th and 5th ODI against New Zealand has a new captain. Shreyas Iyer, India's T20I captain, will lead the side at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on 13 and 15 November, after Shubman Gill and KL Rahul left the ODI group to get ready for the Test series. India already lead 2-0 and cannot lose the series.

Washout in Hamilton

Tuesday's 3rd ODI at Seddon Park never got going. Rain began the afternoon before and barely stopped. In a short break, Gill won the toss and chose to field with an unchanged XI, and the umpires planned a 40-overs-a-side game. Then the rain came back just as the covers were coming off, and the match was called off without a ball bowled. You can read our Hamilton preview here.

The washout ended a big New Zealand record. According to ESPNcricinfo, New Zealand had won 11 home bilateral ODI series in a row, the second-longest such streak in men's ODIs. With India 2-0 up after the wins at Eden Park and Wellington, the best New Zealand can now do is draw 2-2. Their last home ODI series defeat was also against India, in 2019.

Who is in, who is out

Out: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj were picked only for the first three ODIs and now move to Wellington for Test preparation.

In: Tilak Varma, fast bowler Yash Thakur and wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra. Tilak, India's T20I vice-captain, last played an ODI against South Africa in December 2025. For Kushagra and Yash, this is a first India ODI call-up.

Ishan Kishan is vice-captain and is expected to keep wicket with Rahul gone.

India squad for the 4th and 5th ODIs: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (vice-capt, wk), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.

Shreyas Iyer's first ODIs as captain

Shreyas Iyer has never captained India in an ODI, but he is not new to leading this team on this tour. He captained India to a 3-2 T20I series win in New Zealand earlier this month, a series that ended with the 5th T20I in Hamilton.

According to Mint, head coach Gautam Gambhir will stay with the ODI group for the last two matches, while bowling coach Morne Morkel heads to Wellington with the Test players.

What to watch at Bay Oval

• Kohli and Rohit: both stay for the final two games, so India's two senior batters get more ODI time in New Zealand.
• Kishan behind the stumps: he has not played in this series so far and should now come in as keeper.
• New faces: with the series safe, the last two games are a chance to look at Kushagra, Yash Thakur and Tilak.
• Weather: two of the three ODIs so far have been hit by rain, so keep an eye on the Mount Maunganui forecast.

After the ODIs, the two-Test series starts at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on 19 November.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo, News18, Mint, IANS.