Kane Williamson pulls out of T20I series against India to prepare for Test matches
Kane Williamson (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has pulled out of the three-match T20I series against India. Williamson took the call keeping an eye on the upcoming Test series which follows the T20Is. The two-match Test series will be part of the Test Championship and a win in India will help New Zealand go a long way in their title defence. This will be the first series for New Zealand in the second cycle of the Test Championship thus Williamson wants New Zealand to get on board as quickly as possible.
“Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson will miss this week’s three-game T20 series against India as he prioritises preparing for the Test series starting on November 25 in Kanpur,” New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said in a statement.
In another positive development, Lockie Ferguson, who suffered a calf injury in the 20-20 World Cup, has recovered and will be available for selection in T20Is. “Lockie Ferguson’s recovery from a right calf-strain continues to progress well and he is expected to be available for the T20 series,” NZC added. India and New Zealand will lock horns in the T20I series from Wednesday.
The series will start on November 17 in Jaipur before teams play other two games on November 19 and 21 in Ranchi and Kolkata respectively. The two Tests will be played in Kanpur and Mumbai from November 25 and December 3 respectively.
Black Caps T20 squad for India
Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Black Caps Test squad for India
Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Will Somerville, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Will Young
