New Delhi: The wait for cricket fans regarding the Indian cricket team’s upcoming tour of New Zealand is set to end soon. The Indian squad for the important and lengthy tour will be officially announced next week. The BCCI selection committee will hold a special meeting next week to finalize the squads for all three formats — T20, ODI and Test — for the New Zealand tour.

This time, the team selection process for the New Zealand tour will take place amid a major change. On Sunday, October 4, Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as BCCI chief selector officially came to an end. Following the expiry of his contract, the BCCI has put an interim arrangement in place.

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha, who heads a four-member selection committee, will now take on the crucial responsibility. Until a new permanent chief selector is appointed, the four-member committee under Ojha’s leadership will function and select the final squad for the New Zealand tour next week.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir will also attend the upcoming selection committee meeting. Gambhir is expected to give his inputs to the selectors, taking into account the challenging conditions in New Zealand, the nature of the pitches, players’ recent fitness and workload management.

According to BCCI sources, the selectors want to pick a balanced and strong squad considering the 45-day tour beginning on October 22, ensuring that India can field its best possible playing XI across all three series.

India’s tour of New Zealand will begin on October 22 and continue until December 1. During the nearly one-and-a-half-month tour, India will face New Zealand in all three formats.

The five-match T20 International series will be played from October 22 to November 1, followed by a five-match ODI series from November 4 to November 15. The two-match Test series will then take place from November 19 to December 1.

Meanwhile, India’s T20I squad is currently in Lucknow, where the first match of the five-match home T20I series against the West Indies is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, October 6. Immediately after the West Indies series, the Indian team will travel to New Zealand, with the BCCI set to officially announce the squad next week.