New Zealand’s senior batsman Kane Williamson will not be available for the second Test against India in Pune. He is still recovering from a back strain, and his rehabilitation is not yet complete. The New Zealand Cricket Board announced this on Tuesday. After winning the first Test in Bengaluru by eight wickets, New Zealand leads the three-match series 1-0. The second match will be played from Thursday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
Williamson has not yet arrived in India and hasn’t been seen with the team. He sustained the injury during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka. Black Caps’ head coach Gary Stead stated that Williamson is not yet ready but has made significant progress. In a statement released by New Zealand Cricket (NZC), Stead said, “We have been monitoring Kane, and while he’s making progress, he is still not 100% fit. We hope to see further improvement in the coming days, and he will hopefully be available for the third Test.”
He added, “We will give him as much time as possible to get match-fit but will continue to take a cautious approach.” The third Test is scheduled to begin on November 1 in Mumbai. Meanwhile, India has added Washington Sundar to the squad for the remaining two Tests. Changes to the Indian team for the second Test are possible, with Shubman Gill on the path to recovery. This could result in either Sarfaraz Khan or KL Rahul making way. However, given Sarfaraz’s excellent form and Rahul’s poor form, the management might opt to bench Rahul.
New Zealand’s squad for the India tour is as follows: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi (only for the second and third Tests), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson (out of the first two Tests), Will Young, Jacob Duffy.
India’s squad for the second and third Tests against New Zealand is as follows: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.