Siraj, Bumrah, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna should form the seam attack when the first Test starts in Wellington on 19 November, backed by one spin-bowling all-rounder. Shami’s farewell to the format on 6 November changes less than it seems, because the selectors had already moved on from him after his last red-ball appearance in 2023. The real questions are whether Bumrah’s workload lets him play both Tests, and whether Akash Deep or the one-cap Anshul Kamboj deserves the final seamer’s slot.
Life After Shami Began Three Years Ago
Shami’s final Test was the World Test Championship final of 2023, so this squad was never built around a recall. His 64-match career closed on 229 wickets at 27.71 apiece, featuring six five-wicket hauls, and he stays available for white-ball duty. The farewell note he posted offered no particular reason for stepping away. It simply ends any comeback talk.
That leaves Bumrah and Siraj, plus Prasidh and Akash Deep, as the frontline seamers in the 16-man group announced on 16 October. Gurnoor Brar’s name surfaced in September, but the selectors overlooked him. The uncapped quick had 66 first-class wickets from 20 games at roughly 25 by then, marking him as one for later.
India vs New Zealand Test series pacers by the numbers
Bumrah sits in a class of his own, with 234 wickets from 52 Tests at 19.79 and a strike rate of 42.8. Siraj brings volume with 144 wickets in 48 matches, though Sri Lanka yielded only four. Prasidh has played just nine Tests but strikes almost as often as Bumrah, every 43.6 balls.
Akash Deep carries the lightest CV of the four, 28 wickets in 10 Tests at 35.79. These career figures run to the end of the Sri Lanka series. Recent form, though, reshuffles the middle of that list.
Bowler | Tests Played | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jasprit Bumrah | 52 | 234 | 19.79 | 42.8 |
Mohammed Siraj | 48 | 144 | 29.63 | 51.0 |
Prasidh Krishna | 9 | 32 | 30.34 | 43.6 |
Akash Deep | 10 | 28 | 35.79 | 54.9 |
Bumrah and the Workload Puzzle
Bumrah’s last Test appearance came back in November 2025, and he missed the Sri Lanka series entirely. His comeback outing came in Lincoln on 8 November, playing for India A versus New Zealand A, where he bowled six overs for 11 runs, with a maiden but no wicket. Rain wiped out day three, denying him a longer spell.
His workload is being managed carefully, with the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year firmly in view. That makes two Tests in eight days a risk the management may not take. His last New Zealand tour, in 2020, brought six wickets at 31.66 across two Tests, proof that even he found those pitches tough.
Reading the Form of the Support Seamers
Prasidh arrives in the best shape of anyone. His seven Sri Lanka wickets cost 24.57 apiece, earning him the series Impact Player award, before a hamstring problem kept him out of the ODIs. Once he was declared fit at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, he returned for India A and claimed two wickets in five overs.
Siraj has more than 100 overseas Test wickets, yet he admitted his rhythm was still returning in Sri Lanka after a two-month break. Akash Deep owns a ten-wicket haul at Edgbaston from 2025, but his 35.79 average is the weakest of the group. Behind them sit Kamboj, capped once, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowls seam as an all-rounder.
Picking the Attack for Wellington
New Zealand has long rewarded seam and swing, and India have managed only five wins in 25 Tests there. The 2009 visit produced a 1-0 series victory, while the 2020 trip ended in a 0-2 loss, with Bumrah taking six wickets at 31.66 and Shami five at 36.60. A thin attack gets exposed quickly there.
All four of Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh should start at the Basin Reserve, with a single spin-bowling all-rounder completing the XI. Prasidh has earned his place on form, and Akash Deep’s Test experience edges out Kamboj for the fourth seamer’s role. Should the management rest Bumrah for Christchurch, Siraj and Prasidh can share the new ball, and that rotation is the smartest way to manage the India vs New Zealand Test series pacers across both matches.
Would you hand Akash Deep the fourth seamer’s spot in Wellington, or does Kamboj deserve a second Test cap? Share your attack in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which fast bowlers are in India’s squad for the New Zealand Tests?
Siraj, Bumrah, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Anshul Kamboj are the specialist quicks. Nitish Kumar Reddy adds seam as an all-rounder in the 16-player group picked on 16 October.
Will Jasprit Bumrah play both Tests in New Zealand?
Bumrah is in the squad, but his place in both Tests is not certain. His workload is being managed ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and he bowled only six overs in his India A comeback.
What reason did Mohammed Shami give for leaving Test cricket?
Shami gave no specific reason in his farewell message on 6 November. He walked away 13 years after his Test debut and will keep playing for India in limited-overs cricket.
When does the first India vs New Zealand Test start?
The opening Test begins at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on 19 November. The second match of the two-Test series starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 27 November.
What was Mohammed Shami’s final Test bowling record?
Shami retired on 229 Test wickets in 64 matches, averaging 27.71. He also took six five-wicket hauls, and his last Test was the World Test Championship final of 2023.