New Zealand squad for Test tour of India | Injury delays Williamsons departure to India | Chapman called in as cover

Williamson's travel to India is delayed due to an injury, and Chapman is called in to replace.

Kane Williamson will postpone his departure with the BLACKCAPS Test squad for the three-Test series against India due to a groin injury.

Williamson suffered groin soreness during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and would need time to recover before rejoining the group in India.

BLACKCAPS selector Sam Wells said Williamson would still play some part in the three-Test series, which begins next Monday in Bengaluru.

"The advice we've received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury," Wells told me.

"We're hoping that if the recovery goes as planned, Kane will be available for the later portion of the tour.

"While it's obviously disappointing to not have Kane available from the start of the tour, it provides an opportunity for someone else to play a role in an important series."

Uncapped Auckland Aces hitter Mark Chapman will join the squad to fill in for Williamson.

Chapman, who has become a regular in the BLACKCAPS white-ball teams, averages 41.9 in first-class cricket and has six centuries, including 114 for New Zealand A against India A at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in 2020.

He played in three Aces Plunket Shield matches last summer, scoring 245 runs at 40, including 123 against the Otago Volts in Dunedin in February.

According to Wells, Chapman possesses the necessary talents for Test cricket in the subcontinent.

"We believe Mark is one of our best players of spin and has a proven track-record in the sub-continent," pointed out Wells.

"Mark has displayed an ability to play spin proactively in the international arena, and combined with his excellent first-class record, we see him as someone who can succeed in the type of conditions we expect to encounter in India."

Allrounder Michael Bracewell will travel with the squad to Bengaluru for the first Test before going home to give birth to his second child. He will be replaced by Ish Sodhi for the rest of the series.

The rest of the squad remains unaltered from the last Test series against Sri Lanka, with Tom Latham taking the helm for the first time as full-time Test captain.

BLACKCAPS squad: Test tour of India 

Tom Latham (c)
Tom Blundell (wk)

Michael Bracewell (1st Test only)

Mark Chapman*

Devon Conway

Matt Henry

Daryl Mitchell

Will O’Rourke

Ajaz Patel

Glenn Phillips

Rachin Ravindra

Mitchell Santner

Ben Sears

Ish Sodhi (2nd & 3rd Test only)

Tim Southee

Kane Williamson 

Will Young

The BLACKCAPS coaching team will be led by Gary Stead, batting coach Luke Ronchi, and bowling coach Jacob Oram.

Sri Lankan spin specialist Rangana Herath, who was part of the coaching group for the last Tests against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, will continue to serve as spin-coach for the India series.

The squad will depart for India on Friday, ahead of the first Test, which begins on October 16 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

BLACKCAPS' Test Tour to India

1st Test: 16-20 October, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

2nd Test - 24-28 October, MCA Stadium, Pune.

3rd Test: 1-5 November, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.