The Kishan dilemma, Kuldeep vs Chahal, Malik's rise: India face tricky calls vs NZ
In the absence of KL Rahul and Axar Patel, India will be testing out a few of their bench players
Will Kishan keep wicket and open the batting?
With Rahul missing the series because of family commitments and Rishabh Pant in recovery after a serious car crash, Ishan Kishan has emerged as the frontrunner to keep wicket in both the ODI and the T20I series against New Zealand. However, it remains to be seen whether he slots right back in as an opener in 50-over cricket.Kuldeep vs Chahal
With India all but certain to play at least one fingerspin-bowling allrounder, it has always been about Yuzvendra Chahal vs Kuldeep Yadav in this ODI World Cup year. If Chahal still hasn't recovered sufficiently from the shoulder complaint that put him out of the last two ODIs against Sri Lanka, then Kuldeep might surely start the New Zealand series.More game-time for Washington?
With Ravindra Jadeja still working his way back from injury and Axar also taking a break due to family reasons, offspin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar could be set for a consistent run in the ODIs and T20Is against New Zealand.The return of Thakur
After being left out for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Shardul Thakur is back in the mix, with left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh dropping out of the squad. With Bhuvneshwar no longer on India's radar and Deepak Chahar still unfit, Thakur gets another opportunity as a seam bowler who can also offer batting depth. Although Thakur isn't a genuine swing bowler like Chahar, he can also bowl with the new ball, something he did on the Bangladesh tour.Malik steps up in Prasidh's absence
In the early half of 2022, Prasidh Krishna was India's chief enforcer with his hit-the-deck bustle, but a long injury layoff has set his career back. In the absence of Prasidh, India's team management has turned to Umran Malik for high pace and bounce in the middle overs. Malik has not gone wicketless in the six completed ODIs he has played so far.Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo