Martin Guptill Ruled Out Of T20I Series Against India

Kiwi opener Martin Guptill returned to the national side after a long time. But his return proved to be a short-lived one as injury ruled him out once again.

This time the 32-year-old batsman will miss the scheduled three-match T20I series against India. He even didn’t play the last ODI match and was replaced by Jimmy Neesham.

Before the India series, Guptill had a very productive series against Sri Lanka. But in the series against India, his performance was below par.

In the four games he could manage only 47 runs with a highest score of 15, which he scored in Mount Maunganui. The Black Caps also lost the series 1-4, which is their worst loss against India at home.

The Kiwi coach, Gary Stead, told in an interview to stuff.co.nz that:

Unfortunately Martin hasn’t recovered in time for this Twenty20 series which is very condensed with three games over five days. It’s a shame as he’s obviously a big part of our white-ball sides, but we’ve got to look at the big picture and ensure he gets the injury right.

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Guptill had a back injury before fifth ODI

The holder of a double century in ODI format sustained a back injury before the fifth ODI at Wellington. He will now be hoping to make a return in the series against Bangladesh, which will begin next week.

The team will also want Guptill to become fit ahead of the World Cup, which begins from 1 June. The three-match T20I series will be played in Wellington, Auckland (February 8) and Hamilton (February 10).

India’s regular skipper Virat Kohli is being rested for this series. In his place hie deputy Rohit Sharma will lead the Men in Blue. Rohit also captained in the final two ODIs, winning one and losing the other.

The Kiwis have now named an updated squad for the T20I series. They have included a rookie all-rounder Daryl Mitchell in the squad. Daryle is the son of former All Blacks coach John Mitchell.

Updated New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Doug Bracewell, Ross Taylor, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.