 "New Zealand's ODI squad labelled unrecognisable by ex-India cricketer: 'They are all very new names'")
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has described the New Zealand ODI squad currently on tour in India as completely “unrecognisable” in the absence of the white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner as well as star batter Kane Williamson and others. All-rounder Michael Bracewell is leading a second-string Black Caps side for the three-match ODI series against India that got underway in Vadodara on Sunday.
Captain Santner as well as several other first-choice players such as Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry and others will return to action in the five-match T20I series against the Men in Blue followed by the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Williamson, on the other hand, has opted to skip the ongoing ODI series in order to fulfill his commitments in SA20, where he is currently playing for Durban Super Giants.
New Zealand missing six members of Champions Trophy final playing XI
The Black Caps thus are missing six members of their playing XI in the ICC Champions Trophy final against India in Dubai last year.
“I have never seen a more unrecognisable squad than this,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel. “New Zealand combine the fingers to make a fist. That is the kind of philosophy they come in with, but for that, they have good players.”
“In this team, they have Henry Nicholls and Will Young. You know both of them. Michael Bracewell is the captain. You know him. You know Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. You know Devon Conway.”
“You might have heard Josh Clarkson and Nick Kelly’s names for the first time. Then Zak Foulkes, Jayden Lennox and Mitchell Hay. Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Michael Rae and Kyle Jamieson.
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View All“There are five or six names, about whom if you don’t know, it’s not a slight that you don’t follow cricket. They are all very new names,” he added.
India, on the other hand, are fielding a near-full strength side with veteran stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in action and senior pacer Mohammed Siraj leading the attack.
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Like some of New Zealand’s first-choice players, pace star Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the upcoming series, keeping him fresh for the T20 World Cup, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya is yet to regain fitness.
The hosts, however, brought Dhruv Jurel in for Rishabh Pant as a last-minute replacement on Sunday, the day Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium hosted its first men’s international game after the latter suffered a side strain during a nets session.
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