Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme haven’t been included in the New Zeland squad for their upcoming Test series in India as they have picked a plethora of spinners in the squad. Boult and Grandhomme made themselves unavailable for selection due to bio-bubble fatigue. The 15-member squad that is slated to play two Tests in Kanpur from November 25-29, and Mumbai from December 3-7, has as many as five-spin bowling options, one of the most New Zealand have ever carried in their tour to India.
The spin attack will be led by left-arm spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner. They have also picked Will Somerville, Rachin Ravindra, and Glenn Phillips as backup spinners. The rest of the squad has a familiar feel with the regular Test top-five and Will Young filling the batting positions, and Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson are the fast bowlers in the squad.
Talking about the team selection, New Zealand coach, Gary Stead said, “Trent has already spent the best part of 60 days in hard managed isolation this year, while Colin had been on the road since May until recently returning home from Pakistan. From talking to both players it was clear the best option for them was to be left out of this Test tour and for them to instead focus on being ready for the New Zealand home summer.”
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Phillips has been included in the Kiwi squad for the first time since debuting against Australia as a late replacement in 2020 when the New Zealand camp was struck by illness on the eve of the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
Elaborating the same, Gary Stead said, “Touring India is one of the greatest experiences in cricket and I know our guys are really looking forward to the challenge. It’s fair to say we’re expecting spin-friendly conditions and it’s great to have a range of options in this department.”
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙆𝘾𝘼𝙋𝙎 🇳🇿
Proud & excited this morning to see 3 of our @CentralStags named in the @Blackcaps Test squad for India & 𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐍𝐄 named for the T20i Series v India 👏👏👏🟩🟩🟩 #CDTOGETHER
🟩🟩🟩 #CRICKETNATION
🟩🟩🟩 #INDVNZ https://t.co/46268seVEa— Central Districts Cricket Association🏏 (@CDCricket) November 4, 2021
He further added, “The success of our spinners on recent tours to the sub-continent has been encouraging and we hope they can once again feature prominently. It’s really exciting to begin the second installment of the WTC and we know there’ll be an extra incentive for all the teams we play following our win in the inaugural competition.”
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Before the Test matches, New Zealand is slated to play three T20Is starting on November 17.
New Zealand Test Squad:
Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Will Somerville, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Will Young, Neil Wagner
