New Zealand’s injury crisis deepens as Devon Conway ruled out of India ODIs

New Zealand suffered another setback in their ODI series against India, with opener Devon Conway ruled out of the remaining four matches after suffering concussion during practice. Already without two important players in Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman, the hosts now have another gap to address as they look to recover from their defeat in the opening match of the series.

Conway missed the first ODI after a collision with Matt Henry on Tuesday during training at Eden Park. Tim Seifert replaced him at the top of the order and made 38, but New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs. Blair Tickner’s late contribution of 34 helped them reach that total after Arshdeep Singh took four wickets and Gurnoor Brar three.

India’s chase was interrupted by rain, with the target revised to 143 in 32 overs by the DLS method. Rohit Sharma fell for a duck but Virat Kohli’s 74 off 51 balls and Shubman Gill’s 37 put India in control. The visitors eventually reached 143 for five in 22.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-game series.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed on Friday that Conway would miss the rest of the competition. Nick Kelly, who was initially selected for the fourth and fifth ODIs, has been called up as his replacement and will join the team in Wellington. In return, Auckland Aces batsman Dale Phillips was brought into the New Zealand A squad for the final four-day match against India A.

HOW DID CONWAY GET INJURED?

The incident occurred during training at Eden Park on Tuesday when Conway and Henry collided while attempting to take the same catch. Both players received immediate medical attention and were evaluated for head injuries.

Conway was taken to Auckland Hospital’s trauma and emergency department, where further tests confirmed a concussion. Henry has since been cleared of concussion and is available for selection for the second ODI.

NEW ZEALAND LEAVES WITH SHORT-HAND INJURIES

Conway joins Ravindra and Chapman on New Zealand’s injury list. Ravindra is recovering from a shoulder problem while Chapman has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Both were ejected before the start of the series. Henry’s availability is a positive for the hosts, although the fast bowler also missed the last three T20Is against India with a non-quality tear in his right quadriceps.

New Zealand will now have to rethink their batting combination as they look to level the series. The second ODI will be played at Henry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday 7 November.

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