New Zealand Announces Squads For India Tour; Trent Boult Unavailable For Test Series

The New Zealand cricket team has announced its squads for the upcoming tour of India. Fast bowler Trent Boult has made himself unavailable due to bio-bubble fatigue and will sit out the 2-Test series against the hosts.

He will play the T20I series, however, which will begin two days after the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Soon after, Boult will return home and his absence will be felt by the Black Caps.

Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips have been included, with the former being the only uncapped player in the team. They have three frontline spinners included for the tour – Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, and Will Somerville. The decision might have been taken considering the spinning conditions in India.

BJ Watling, who was the Kiwis’ designated wicket-keeper in Tests, retired after the World Test Championship (WTC) final. In his place, Tom Blundell has been added and he will likely be their first-choice keeper.

The bowling attack will be headed by the experienced Tim Southee, with Kyle Jamieson set to undergo his first test in conditions that don’t generally favor pace bowling. New Zealand has a terrible record in India, having won just two Tests in history and none since 1988.

The Test series will also be part of the WTC 2021-23 cycle and will be New Zealand’s first assignment in the cycle. The first Test will be played in Kanpur from November 25-29 and the second Test will be held in Mumbai from December 3-7.

New Zealand squad for Tests

Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Will Somerville, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Will Young.

New Zealand squad for T20Is

Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

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