Due to a recent groin issue, Kane Williamson’s journey to India will be delayed, and he will probably miss the first Test in Bengaluru.
Williamson felt difficulty during the second Test match against Sri Lanka and will require rehabilitation before he can travel to India with the team, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement to the media on Wednesday, October 9.
The selector for New Zealand, Sam Wells, expressed optimism that Williamson will be fit to play when his healing is complete. “We’ve been told that resting and recovering now is the best course of action for Kane rather than running the danger of making the injury worse. If everything goes according to plan for his rehabilitation, we aim to have Kane available for the later portion of the tour.
Uncapped in Test matches, Mark Chapman will be added to the team to fill in for Williamson. Chapman, a fixture in the white-ball teams of New Zealand, has six hundred to his first-class cricket average of 41.9, one of which came against India A in 2020. In three Plunket Shield games last summer, he made 245 runs, 123 of which went against the Otago Volts.
Mark has displayed an ability to play spin proactively in the international arena, and combined with his excellent first-class record, we see him as someone who can succeed in the type of conditions we expect to encounter in India.”
Before going home to give birth to his second child, Michael Bracewell will travel with the team for the first Test. Ish Sodhi will take his place for the remainder of the series.
Team New Zealand: Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, and Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only).