Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand in the limited over series of India. (Source: Reuters) Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand in the limited over series of India. (Source: Reuters)

In an unusual scheme of things, New Zealand have named nine members in their squad of 15 for the three-match ODI series in India. The remaining six spots will then be filled by players from New Zealand ‘A’ currently on tour in India – playing unofficial Tests against India A. The series begins on October 22 with the first ODI to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It will be followed by ODIs in Pune and Kanpur. The ODIs will be followed by three T20Is, a squad for which will be named at a later date.

The nine members named wear a very different look since the last time they donned the national colours at the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales. Neil Broom and Jimmy Neesham have been dropped, Corey Anderson is still recovering following a back operation. Jeetan Patel and Luke Ronchi have retired, while Mitchell McClenaghan has opted out of a national contract while expressing interest in pursuing opportunities in T20 leagues.

“The nine we’ve picked have made up the core of our ODI team for a while and all of them have experience playing in India,” said New Zealand coach Mike Hesson. “With a number of our top guys already playing in India, it’s helpful to be able to select the squad in two parts. With six spots left, there’s an obvious incentive for the players in New Zealand A to perform and put their best foot forward.”

Of the nine players, only one is a spinner – Mitchell Santner, but Ish Sodhi remains a prime candidate to come in as a choice from the New Zealand ‘A’ side. Tom Latham is another player likely to be included in the side after expressing wish to keep wickets with no specialist resource thus far.

Hesson stressed that Broom and Neesham were still in the plans for selection should they do well in domestic cricket. “It will be disappointing for James and Neil, but we’ve talked through the areas that we’d like to see them work on and if we see development, they’ll certainly both come into the reckoning come the home summer,” he said.

“Neil was really effective for us batting at three or four last season, but we have quality, established batsmen in those positions and we’d like to see Neil develop his game further to show he has the skills to bat at five. Jimmy needs go back and really dominate domestic cricket with both bat and ball. We know Jimmy is a talented player, but we’ve spoken with him around improving the consistency in all areas of his game.”

New Zealand squad (nine of 15 members so far): Martin Guptill, Tom Latham (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd