Wellington: Senior New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20 series against India after failing to recover from a back injury.
Guptill will be replaced by all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who also featured in the final two ODIs against India in the recently concluded five-match series.
“Unfortunately, Martin hasn’t recovered in time for this Twenty20 series which is very condensed with three games over five days,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.
“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.”
Guptill suffered injury prior to the final ODI against India and now will be eyeing a return against Bangladesh in a series starting next week.
The three-match T20 series against India starts 6 February at Wellington, followed by a second match at Auckland’s Eden Park 8 February and the final game at Hamilton 10 February.
The New Zealand squad also includes rookie all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, who is the son of former All Blacks coach John Mitchell.