In yet another setback for New Zealand, all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has been ruled out of the second Test against India, commencing here on Friday, unable to recover from a rib injury, which had forced him to sit out of the opening game in Kanpur.
Arrival of veteran off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who has been called in as a replacement for injured Mark Craig, is also delayed.
Neesham's recovery is being monitored, the New Zealand team media said.
At present he’s not fit for the Kolkata Test. But we are monitoring his recovery constantly and at the moment can’t say whether he would be out for the entire series. We will take a call on him before the third Test (in Indore).New Zealand Team Media
Kiwi coach Mike Hesson told New Zealand media that they're not able to name any replacement for Neesham.
"We are not able to get any replacement in time who is a batting all-rounder. Unfortunately, we have got a few other injuries at home as well, which makes that really challenging," he said.
Meanwhile, Patel will arrive not before late tonight as his flight earlier got cancelled.
"Unfortunately his flight from England got cancelled and he has boarded another flight and will arrive late tonight," NZ media manager added.
This means Patel will have just a little over 24 hours to acclimatise before becoming New Zealand's third spinning option for the crucial second Test, which they must win to save the three-match series having lost the opening game by 197 runs.
Coach Hesson has hinted at a three-spin attack here at the Eden Gardens, where the ball stayed low and slow with a reasonable amount of turn during the T20 World Cup.
It’s going to be hot and humid again and the pitch will deteriorate pretty quickly. A lot of (spin bowling) is about the pace you bowl. In New Zealand, because the wickets don’t turn, we try to beat batsmen in the air. They don’t even contemplate that here they try to beat you off the wicket. And if you are unable to score runs, they create more pressure by putting more and more fielders around the bat.Mike Hisson, Coach, New Zealand
Hesson was non-committal about out of form opener Martin Guptill, who scored 21 and 0, except to say he was in a "really good frame of mind and it's important we keep it that way".
"We are not smacking each other over and talking about all the bad things. We got confidence from large parts of the Test," he said.
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