India and New Zealand kick off a three-match T20I series from Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kyle Jamieson has opted out of the series to focus on the upcoming Test series from November 25.
A couple of days after losing the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup final to Australia, New Zealand participates in a three-match T20I series against host India. However, it seems like the Kiwis are not keen on fielding a full-strength squad in the series, as a couple of notable players have pulled out.
On Tuesday, skipper Kane Williamson had opted out of the series to keep himself fresh for the upcoming two-Test series from November 25. As a result, veteran pacer Tim Southee was appointed as the stand-in captain for the opening game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, pacer Kyle Jamieson, too, decided to pull out of the T20Is for the same reason. The news was confirmed by Kiwi head coach Gary Stead, who told stuff.co.nz that besides these two, some other players might also opt out of the series, prioritising the red-ball format over the white-ball. "It's a bit of a balancing act at the moment, and with three T20 games in five days plus travel to three different cities, it's a very, very busy time," he added.
In the meantime, Stead recorded that pacer Lockie Ferguson, who has been recovering from a calf injury, is likely to play the opening match. At the beginning of the global event, he had suffered the injury and has made a swift recovery since, while Stead and the entire side are delighted to have him back.
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New Zealand updates squad: Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips (wk), Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee (c).