The Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand has sparked debate, particularly concerning the exclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who recently scored a century against South Africa. Other notable omissions include Mohammed Shami, despite consistent domestic performance, and Axar Patel, who also recently scored a List A century. Captain Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are set to return after injuries, while Jasprit Bumrah is being rested for workload management ahead of the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya was also left out as he is not yet cleared to bowl the required overs in ODIs.