What, no Rashid Khan?
The Afghanistan legspinning wizard is recovering from a back injury and will take a break from test cricket on medical advice.
Rashid Khan had surgery following the ODI World Cup last year and was sidelined for four months.
Do we smell a googly? The 25-year-old does seem focused on the lucrative T20 leagues — and who could blame him, really?
He has clocked close to 450 T20 games but played the last of his five tests in 2021. Afghanistan have only played three tests since then, though.
It is shame he will not feature in the XI because it would have been some contest watching him bowl to Kane Williamson.
Will Tim Southee play?
He is the captain, so the answer seems fairly obvious.
Tim Southee will play. But should he?
The Black Caps have five spinning options in the 15-man squad and three of them can bat in the top seven, so the team has a lot of flexibility.
Presumably Matt Henry is the first-choice seamer and Southee will jostle for a starting spot with William O’Rourke and Ben Sears.
Daryl Mitchell can trundle in and get through a few overs of seam if needed, so there is no real need to pick more than two specialist seamers in Indian conditions.
That means it is a choice between Southee and O’Rourke as to who plays. Sears is at the bottom of that pecking order.
The 23-year-old O’Rourke has 11 wickets in two tests and a game against Afghanistan seems the perfect opportunity for him to gain some more international experience.
Big call not to play the captain, though.
Is Rachin Ravindra the next coming of Kane Williamson?
We hope so.
Kane Williamson is our greatest batter. In 100 tests, he has registered 8743 runs at an average of 54.98, including 32 centuries. It is an extraordinary record. He has been the backbone in the batting lineup for more than a decade.
Long may that last.
But the 34-year-old opted against accepting a national contract and signed a casual deal this year instead. He remains committed to playing for his country, but it is a clear sign he is starting to think about life after cricket.
And life after Kane might not be as grim as previously thought.
Rachin Ravindra emerged as star at the 2023 World Cup and he has made a very bright start to his test career as well.
He scored 240 in the first test against an admittedly weak South Africa side earlier this year. There were real moments of class during the innings, and he featured in a 232-run stand with Williamson which just invited comparison.
He has arrived in India ahead of most of the New Zealand team in preparation. That is a good sign. He is hungry.
