Neesham smashed ten sixes in the three games against Sri Lanka recently. © Getty

Allrounder James Neesham and legspinner Todd Astle have returned to the New Zealand squad for the final two One-Day Internationals against India. Having already lost the series, New Zealand have left out Doug Bracewell and legspinner Ish Sodhi.

Bracewell proved to be expensive with the ball in the last two games and had picked only one wicket from the three matches. He did contribute with the bat in the second game though with a quickfire half-century. Sodhi also failed to impress with the ball in the two games he played as he went wicketless.

Neesham had recently made a comeback to the ODI side after almost two years during the home series against Sri Lanka and smashed ten sixes in the three games he played before injuring his hamstring. After regaining fitness, Neesham played a couple of games in the Super Smash for Wellington, before earning a recall.

Astle, who has played only 11 international matches, was sidelined for a long time with a knee injury but has now been given an opportunity to make an impact before New Zealand settle on their World Cup combination. Having not played a competitive game since November, Astle proved his fitness by turning out for Canterbury in the Super Smash four times this month.

"Doug and Ish have been two of the brighter spots of the ODI series so far and we've been encouraged by their performances against a quality Indian side," New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said. "It's great to welcome back the all-round skills of Jimmy and Todd and we're looking forward to seeing what they can bring to the series. We're still looking to keep our options open with selections at this stage and ensure we continue to learn as much as we can about our players."

The final two matches will be played on Hamilton and Wellington on January 31 and February 3 respectively.