{"id":2554,"date":"2026-10-09T08:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/09\/mukesh-kumar-akash-deep-new-zealand-test-squad\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T08:37:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:37:02","slug":"mukesh-kumar-akash-deep-new-zealand-test-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/09\/mukesh-kumar-akash-deep-new-zealand-test-squad\/","title":{"rendered":"Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep in contention for New\u202fZealand Test squad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>After delivering a standout performance in the Irani Cup, 32\u2011year\u2011old fast\u2011bowler Mukesh Kumar has entered the selection conversation for India\u2019s upcoming two\u2011Test series in New\u202fZealand. He joins Bengal pacer Akash Deep, whose possible inclusion was first reported by Cricbuzz on September\u202f30, as one of the front\u2011running candidates for the red\u2011ball squad.<\/p>\n<h2>Irani Cup impact on selection prospects<\/h2>\n<p>The Irani Cup match in Srinagar on Sunday, October\u202f4, saw Rest of India secure a dramatic 167\u2011run victory after a comeback effort. Both Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep featured prominently for the Rest of India side, catching the eye of head coach Gautam Gambhir. While Akash Deep claimed six wickets, Mukesh Kumar produced an eight\u2011wicket haul, underscoring his ability to take wickets in crucial phases of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Gambhir, who leads the Indian team\u2019s management, has previously highlighted the importance of Akash Deep to India\u2019s chances in New\u202fZealand. The recent performances have prompted the management to advocate for Mukesh Kumar\u2019s inclusion alongside the Bengal pacer. Both bowlers are now expected to submit their inputs to the four\u2011member selection panel headed by former spinner Pragyan Ojha.<\/p>\n<h2>Potential composition of the New\u202fZealand red\u2011ball squad<\/h2>\n<p>The two\u2011Test series forms part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Alongside established seamers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar, the selection committee is likely to consider a 16\u2011 or 17\u2011member squad that includes Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep. Their recent Irani Cup displays add weight to the case for their selection, especially as India looks to field a balanced pace attack on New\u202fZealand\u2019s seam\u2011friendly pitches.<\/p>\n<p>There is also speculation that Prasidh Krishna could travel to Auckland, although his participation remains unconfirmed. Cricbuzz reported a hamstring injury for Krishna on October\u202f1, but the injury was described as not serious enough to automatically rule him out of the tour. Krishna\u2019s final selection will depend on clearance from the Centre of Excellence, where he was sent after sustaining the injury during the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati on September\u202f30.<\/p>\n<h2>Selection committee dynamics and upcoming schedule<\/h2>\n<p>The selection process is occurring against a backdrop of administrative change. Ajit Agarkar\u2019s term as chief selector concluded on Sunday when his contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expired. The BCCI announced an interim arrangement, leaving Pragyan Ojha to lead a four\u2011member panel while a permanent replacement is identified.<\/p>\n<p>The committee is expected to convene next week to finalize the squads for the New\u202fZealand tour, which runs from October\u202f22 to December\u202f1. The tour will also feature five T20 Internationals and five One\u2011Day Internationals in addition to the two Tests, creating a packed 45\u2011day itinerary.<\/p>\n<p>In parallel, the Indian T20I squad is set to assemble in Lucknow on Monday, ahead of the first of five T20Is against the visiting West Indies. Most squad members returning from Japan are anticipated to land in India on Sunday, with a practice session scheduled for Monday evening in Lucknow. The opening T20I is slated for Tuesday, October\u202f6.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the performances of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep in the Irani Cup have placed them at the forefront of the selection conversation for the New\u202fZealand Test series. Their eight\u2011 and six\u2011wicket hauls respectively demonstrate the depth of pace talent emerging from Bengal, and the final squad composition will hinge on inputs from the management, the interim selection panel, and fitness clearances for players like Prasidh Krishna.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following strong Irani Cup displays, seamer Mukesh Kumar joins fellow Bengal pacer Akash Deep as a leading candidate for India\u2019s two\u2011Test series in New\u202fZealand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[2800,1739,2723,2724,2799],"class_list":["post-2554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-akash-deep","tag-india-cricket","tag-mukesh-kumar","tag-new-zealand-tour","tag-test-selection","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}