Wellington, Nov 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra amd Tom Blundell, who are nursing their respective injuries, have been named in Tom Latham-led swuad for two-match series that commences in Wellington on November 19.
The two-match series which begins in Wellington at the Cello Basin Reserve will be the New Zealand's first red-ball face off with India since the team's remarkable 3-0 Test series victory in 2024 - the first ever Test series white-wash of India at home by a visiting team.
Conway had sustained a concussion while fielding during training session ahead of the ODIs, while Rachin suffered a dislocated right shoulder during a promotional shoot in Auckland ahead of T20Is against India.
Wicketkeeper Blundell, who is currently poised on 48 Test caps and is in line to play his 50th Test for New Zealand in Christchurch at Hagley Oval, is recovering from a quadriceps injury.
NZC said "Tom Blundell (quadricep), Devon Conway (concussion), and Rachin Ravindra (shoulder), are working through their respective injuries and aiming to be available for the first Test."
New Zealand's squad has a similar look to the Test side that toured England earlier this year, with the exceptions of Ben Sears (ankle injury), Zak Foulkes (hip injury), and Will O’Rourke (return-to-play programme), and the addition of Jacob Duffy.
The three-Test tour of England was another historic series for the BlackCaps, as they handed the hosts their first home Test series defeat of three or more matches in 14 years.
Head coach Rob Walter will be joined by bowling coach Jacob Oram, departing batting coach Luke Ronchi, and newly appointed batting coach BJ Watling who begins his tenure on November 16.
Walter said he was looking forward to competing in Tests in front of home crowds.
"The squad is largely consistent with the team that competed in England earlier this year, so it’ll be great to be back together to try and recreate some of that success on home soil.
“We’ve experienced great crowds so far during the white-ball series and we’re really looking forward to having that support during the Tests," Walter said.
Walter acknowledged the significance of the series with an eye to the ICC World Test Championship.
“There are ten Tests scheduled between now and March, so there’s no shortage of action for red-ball fans. Valuable Championship points are on the line of course, but our focus remains on playing our best cricket against a high-quality team like India," he added.
New Zealand currently sit in second spot on the World Test Championship standings behind only first-placed South Africa, while India lie in fourth place with reigning runners up Australia in front of them in third.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
This website uses cookies.
