New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has been ruled out of the fifth and the final ODI of the series against India which is scheduled to be played on Sunday. He aggravated a lower back injury during a fielding session on the eve of the game, Blackcaps confirmed the news on its Twitter handle. Colin Munro, who was released from the squad after third ODI, has been recalled and will be joining the squad on the morning of the game.
Guptill, like Munro, is not having a great series as he has just scored 47 in four innings so far. He has been struggling to score runs and an injury has further added to the woes of the opener. With Guptill out of the fifth ODI, it will be a chance for Munro to play a big knock and keep his place in the ODI squad. He is currently playing the ongoing Suoer Smash match for Auckland against Northern Knights.
WATCH – Bhuvneshwar Kumar Had The Last Laugh Against Guptill
Munro was dropped from the team after the third ODI after he scored 46 runs in three outings. The southpaw will, though, now rejoin the team on the morning of the match. He would partner Henry Nicholls at the start, who had opened the innings with Guptill in the fourth ODI.
Martin Guptill is in doubt for tomorrow’s fifth ODI against India after aggravating his lower back while fielding this afternoon. He's been assessed by team physio Vijay Vallabh & will be reassessed tomorrow morning. Colin Munro will rejoin the ODI squad tomorrow morning #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/grfVzgvHTa
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 2, 2019
While New Zealand will be missing the services of their cricketer, India received a big boost as MS Dhoni has been declared fit and he will be playing the final ODI of the series.
Sanjay Bangar, India’s assistant coach, confirmed the news during the pre-match press conference. Dhoni had missed the third and fourth ODI of the series due to a sore hamstring. Dhoni is expected to replace either Shubman Gill or Dinesh Karthik in the playing XI.
WATCH – Martin Guptill Plays Helicopter Shot
The visitors are leading the ODI series 3-1. They sealed the series by registering comfortable victories in the first three ODIs. In the fourth ODI in Hamilton, however, New Zealand made a comeback as Trent Boult wreaked havoc to bundle the Men in Blue for 92.
