Navdeep Saini likely to get Test call-up for India's tour of New Zealand

Navdeep Saini impressed one and all with his lethal pace and wicket-taking ability during the T20I series versus Sri Lanka. Taking five wickets in two T20Is, Saini was named the Man of the Series. Saini was also impressive on his ODI debut versus the West Indies. His ability to hurry the batsman with some raw pace has increased his chances of booking a place in India's Test squad for the New Zealand tour.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is out injured with a sports hernia while Jasprit Bumrah is making his return from a stress fracture in the back. This has made Saini's chances of getting included in the squad even more likely. The 28-year-old pacer clocked regularly in the 140s and bamboozled the Sri Lankan batsmen with his consistent line and length and the dipping yorker.

Also see - India vs Australia schedule 2020

Saini was once a part of India's Test squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan when he replaced Mohammad Shami because the latter failed the fitness test. Rohit Sharma and Shami will most likely make it to the Indian squad for the tour of New Zealand. India are set to play five T20Is, three ODIs, and two T20Is in New Zealand with the T20I series starting on January 24.

With Hardik Pandya's fitness still a concern for the team, Shivam Dube is likely to continue as an all-rounder in India's ODI squad against New Zealand. The rest of the squad is likely to remain the same as the one that will play Australia.