New Zealand have introduced several new names into their white-ball set up as part of their transition, with one of them being Jayden Lennox. The 31-year-old left-arm spinner has been included in the 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against India, with Mitchell Santner being rested ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Lennox has toiled hard in the domestic circuit, especially in recent years, and his consistent displays have caught the eyes of the team management and selectors.
"Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand "A" experience under his belt. He's consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons," head coach Rob Walter said after the squad was announced (via nzc.nz)
New Zealand ODI squad for three-match series against India
Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young
On that note, let us take a look at five interesting facts about Jayden Lennox, the uncapped New Zealand player picked for IND vs NZ 2026 ODIs.
The left-arm spinner made his T20 debut in the 2021 Super Smash for the Central Districts, where he delivered a match-winning spell of 2-17 off his four overs. His quota of four overs included the wickets of Dean Brownlie, and Blackcaps wicket-keeper Tim Seifert.
Lennox outshone his veteran left-arm spin counterpart Ajaz Patel, as Northern Districts were made to work hard to chase down the meagre 118-run target in Hamilton. He featured in four matches that season, picking up six wickets at an average of 13.66 and an economy rate of just 5.46.
Jayden Lennox was part of the Central Districts squad that played in the 2025 Global Super League in the West Indies. The team finished third in the five-team tournament, while he ended up as the 12th-highest wicket-taker following a decent campaign.
Lennox thrived in the low, slow surfaces in the Caribbean, picking up four wickets in three matches at an average of 13.75 and an economy of only 5.07. In fact, he was the second-most economical bowler in the whole campaign after Nikhil Chaudhary.
Generally, a frontline spinner batting in the lower-order, Lennox showcased that he was handy with the bat as well on occasion. Despite having a batting average below 20 across all formats, he put on a show against South Africa 'A' in Benoni, just a few months back.
In the first innings, he scored 88 runs off 148 deliveries, his first first-class fifty, to help New Zealand 'A' post a mammoth 482 after being reduced to 312-8 at one stage.
Apart from being a reliable spinner, Lennox also has decent leadership abilities. He is currently the Central Districts captain for the upcoming 2025-26 Super Smash, while earlier this year, he took the team to the brink of the 2024-25 Ford Trophy.
He guided the Central Districts to the third position in the group phase, with 25 points, setting up an Eliminator clash against Auckland. However, the team fell short by 91 runs in the knockout contest in Dunedin.
The spinner had a campaign to remember, a couple of years ago, when he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker of the 2022-23 Super Smash tournament. Although the Central Districts finished fourth in the table, and missed out on qualification, Lennox starred with 16 wickets in nine matches at an average of 15.93 and an economy of 7.61.
Over the course of the campaign, he dismissed several New Zealand international players, like Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, and Mark Chapman.