India have bolstered their pace attack by adding fast bowler Gurnoor Brar in their squad for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand, starting November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

Along with the inclusion of Brar, the BCCI also confirmed the release of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the Test squad. Kuldeep will return home to play domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh following the fifth ODI.

Gurnoor earned the Test call-up after taking nine wickets in three innings during the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. Since the tall pacer has linked up with the red-ball group in Wellington, he will miss the fifth ODI on Sunday (November 15) in Mount Maunganui without a replacement.

“The Men’s Selection Committee has added Gurnoor Brar to the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand, starting November 19, 2026, in Wellington. Kuldeep Yadav will be released from the Test squad in order to play the ongoing domestic cricket back in India," the BCCI stated in a release.

“Gurnoor will now link up with the members of the Test squad and will not be available for the fifth ODI. There will be no replacement for the final ODI," the release added.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has recovered from injury and linked up with the Test squad in Wellington.

India’s Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar

India’s squad for fifth ODI: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav