India, Dec. 29 -- India's white-ball planning for the New Zealand series is set to carry a very 2026 flavour: protect the highest-impact match-winners, manage workload smartlym and keep the T20 World Cup horizon firmly on focus.

As reported by Cricbuzz, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are likely to be rested for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with the expectation that both will return for the five-match T20I leg that follows immediately after.

Jasprit Bumrah's ODI picture itself explains the thinking. He has not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final, and the report says his workload is being closely monitored. With India treating the upcoming months as a runway to the T20 World Cup, the more protected window is ...