New Zealand announce 15-member Test Squad for India tour

New Zealand, the reigning ICC World Test Champions, have announced their Test squad for the upcoming tour of India. The Test series is scheduled to begin on November 25 after the conclusion of the T20I series, which starts on November 17, few days after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. The red-ball series against India will also mark the the second edition start of New Zealand's new ICC World Test Championship cycle.

The Kane Williamson-led side will be without the services of Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme, who have made themselves unavailable for the because of the extended period in various bio-bubbles. Ajaz Patel and Will Somerville, along with Mitchell Santner will lead the spin attack. The pace attack will be headed by Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson.

"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," head coach Gary Stead said in an NZC release.

Tom Blundell has been named as New Zealand’s first-choice wicketkeeper as BJ Watling announced his retirement after the WTC final. 

The New Zealand head coach is hopeful that the Indian pitches will benefit the spinners in his team.

"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.

"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 instalment 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," Stead said.

New Zealand Test squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell (wk), 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