Key Kiwi duo back; India stars rested
New Zealand will welcome back their most successful bowler and most destructive batsman Sunday at the start of a five-match ODI series against a below-strength India after a mauling in the Tests.
Tim Southee, whose 135 one-day wickets put him at the top of the chart of New Zealand's current players, missed the recent three-match Test series with an ankle injury as his team-mates were whitewashed by their hosts.
But the 27-year-old's return should give the Black Caps a much-needed boost for the series opener in Dharamsala where the conditions will be far more familiar for the tourists.
Corey Anderson is also back from an ankle injury to bolster the batting.
Meanwhile, India have decided to rest the spinning duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin -- for the first three games.
MS Dhoni will be back to lead the side and he will take over the reins from Virat Kohli.
However, India's batting line-up has been weakened by the loss of veteran Suresh Raina with a viral infection and Shikhar Dhawan, who has a broken thumb.
Paceman Mohammed Shami is also being rested while he builds up his fitness after a long lay-off.
Medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, nursing a back strain, was also left out of the squad along with veteran Ishant Sharma who missed the whole series after falling ill.
Comments