Major blow for New Zealand ahead of Test series against India

A day before embarking on their tour of India, New Zealand has suffered a significant injury setback as pacer Ben Sears has been ruled out of the entire Test series. The first Test, scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Bengaluru, will proceed without Sears, who is sidelined due to a knee injury. Uncapped bowler Jacob Duffy has been named as his replacement.

Sears, who recently experienced pain in his left knee during training while participating in the Test series in Sri Lanka, underwent scans upon his return to New Zealand last week. Unfortunately, the results revealed a tear to his meniscus, prompting New Zealand Cricket to seek the first available medical consultation. After careful consideration of the medical advice, it was determined that Sears would not be able to join the tour.

“His departure to India was delayed after scans revealed a tear to his meniscus and the first available medical consultation was sought in the hope that he might have been cleared. However, following the medical advice, the decision was made to rule him out of the series,” New Zealand Cricket said in a statement.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead expressed disappointment over the loss of Sears, who had made a promising start to his Test career during the home summer.

“We’re obviously disappointed for Ben who made a strong start to his Test career during the home summer and offers a genuine pace option. It remains to be seen how long we’ll be without him for, but we’re hopeful his road to a full recovery will be a short one,” Stead said.

To fill the gap left by Sears, uncapped bowler Jacob Duffy has been called up as a replacement. Duffy, who is Otago’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has previously played in six One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 14 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for New Zealand. He currently boasts an impressive tally of 299 First-Class wickets.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for Jacob who has been around Test the squad before. With three Tests ahead of us he has every chance of making his Test debut,” Stead said.

“Jacob’s recent experience playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship certainly pushed his place. His performances in white-ball cricket for the BLACKCAPS have always been impressive and we’re confident he’ll be able to contribute if called upon,” he added.

It is worth noting that the first Test of the three-match series will commence on October 16 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.