New Zealand Test Squad vs India: Rachin Ravindra and Conway Named, Rishabh Pant Set to Fly to Wellington

The New Zealand Test squad vs India is out, and it looks a lot like the side that won 2-1 in England in June. New Zealand Cricket named 14 players on Tuesday for the two-Test series that starts at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, on 19 November, with the second Test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

New Zealand Test squad vs India

Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

Four players racing to be fit

Several big names are in the squad but still recovering:

• Rachin Ravindra dislocated his right shoulder while trying a diving catch during a promotional shoot in September. He missed the T20Is and the ODIs against India.
• Devon Conway and Matt Henry collided in training before the ODI series. Conway had a concussion and both have missed ODIs.
• Tom Blundell is recovering from a quadriceps injury. He is on 48 Tests, so playing both games would bring up his 50th Test, in Christchurch.

NZC said the injured players are working through their recoveries and aiming to be available for the first Test.

Who is missing

Kane Williamson retired from international cricket during the England tour. Fast bowlers Ben Sears (ankle) and Zak Foulkes (hip) are injured, and Will O'Rourke is on a return-to-play programme with an eye on New Zealand's three-Test tour of Australia that follows. Jacob Duffy, who missed England for the birth of his first child, comes in.

There is a coaching change too: BJ Watling takes over as batting coach from Luke Ronchi.

Head coach Rob Walter said: "Valuable Championship points are on the line of course, but our focus remains on playing our best cricket against a high-quality team like India."

Rishabh Pant fitness update

India should get a boost of their own. Rishabh Pant hurt his side while playing for Rest of India in the Irani Cup in early October, and that is why he missed the India A games in New Zealand.

PTI and The Times of India report that Pant is doing two days of match-simulation drills at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, with the second round on Wednesday. If he gets through both, he is expected to fly to Wellington on Thursday, 12 November, which gives him about a week before the first Test. A BCCI source told PTI: "Pant is completely fit."

Pant has played 52 Tests with eight hundreds and 21 fifties, and he is one of the few in this squad who has played a Test in New Zealand, on the 2020 tour. Dhruv Jurel is the other keeper in India's squad.

Why this series matters for the WTC

This is India's first Test meeting with New Zealand since New Zealand's 3-0 win in India in 2024. New Zealand are top of the World Test Championship table, while India are fourth and need to win most of their remaining Tests to reach the June 2027 final. Our WTC qualification explainer breaks down the maths.

India's squad was named last month, with Shubman Gill as captain. The India A side drew its last unofficial Test in Lincoln, so several Test players already have time in New Zealand conditions.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo, ICC, RNZ, 1News, PTI via The Hindu, The Times of India.