- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
DARYL Mitchell, the hero of the first semi-final who took New Zealand to their maiden final in the T20 World Cup by beating England earlier this week, has made it to the Kiwis’ squad for the upcoming two-Test away series against India.
He replaced Devon Conway who has been ruled out of Sunday’s (14) T20 World Cup final against Australia in Dubai as well as the India tour after he broke his hand while expressing frustration over his bat during the semi-final match against the Three Lions.
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New Zealand coach Gary Stead said Conway would return home with the T20 squad after their three-match series in India starting next week while Mitchell will stay on for the longer format.
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“It’s a shame for Devon to miss out on the first series of the new World Test Championship cycle, but it also offers up an opportunity for someone else,” Stead said in a statement issued by New Zealand Cricket.
“Daryl’s versatility means he can cover a lot of batting positions and he’s certainly got plenty of confidence at the moment. He’s proven he can perform in Test cricket and I know he’s excited to rejoin the Test group,” he added.
Mitchell has played in five Tests so far after making debut in 2019 and averages 58 in the format with one hundred and one fifty. He has played 21 T20 internationals (T20I) on the other hand with a strike rate of over 139.
The Black Caps will reach India on Monday (15), two days ahead of the first T20I. The T20Is will be played in Jaipur, Ranchi and Kolkata while the two Tests will be held in Kanpur from November 25 and Mumbai from December 3.
