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Rachin Ravindra officially ruled out of Australia T20Is; NZ bring veteran player as replacement

Debashis Sarangi

Rachin Ravindra out of NZ vs AUS T20Is [Source: AFP]Rachin Ravindra out of NZ vs AUS T20Is [Source: AFP]

New Zealand suffered a huge setback ahead of the first T20I against Australia, with ace opener Rachin Ravindra being ruled out of the three-match series due to injury. The hosts have added veteran all-rounder Jimmy Neesham to their T20I squad as Ravindra's replacement. 

Facial injury sidelines Ravindra from NZ vs AUS T20Is

Earlier, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had revealed that Rachin Ravindra sustained a facial injury after his collision with a boundary hoarding during the fielding training yesterday. He was initially being monitored by New Zealand's medical team. 

However, head coach Rob Walter disclosed that Ravindra sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area, requiring immediate specialist attention and ruling him out of the three-match series at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Walter also stated that the management's decision to exclude Ravindra from the T20I side is meant to give him ample recovery time before the Test series against England at home. 

Rachin Ravindra's injury is definitely a massive setback for the home side, considering he could've been their game-changer against Australia's formidable lineup at the top order. 

Jimmy Neesham joins NZ squad as Ravindra's replacement

Veteran all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has received a T20I recall, joining the BlackCaps squad as Rachin Ravindra's replacement. He has been a fine performer for New Zealand in T20Is. 

In 84 T20 Internationals, Neesham has struck 955 runs at a superb strike rate of 151.82 besides scalping 47 wickets. Given that the BlackCaps roped in a finisher as Ravindra's replacement, either Tim Seifert or Tim Robinson could be seen opening the batting with Devon Conway against the Australians. 

New Zealand's updated squad for Australia T20Is

Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, and Ish Sodhi