IND vs NZ Live: Why is Kane Williamson Not Playing Today? Who is New Zealand Captain?

IND vs NZ Live: In the recent development, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test match against India in Mumbai due to left elbow injury. Due to wet outfield, the second and final Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has been delayed and will begin at 12 PM IST. The opening Test match of the two-match series ended in an exciting draw as both India and New Zealand played some great quality of cricket.

Why is Kane Williamson Not Playing Today?

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been struggling with a left arm elbow injury for a while now and that is the reason why he will miss the second Test against India. Kiwi coach Gary Stead also mentioned that it is really tough for Williamson to sit out for this deciding Test match. In his absence, opening batter Tom Latham will captain New Zealand in the final Test.

“It’s been a really tough time for Kane having to deal with such a persistent injury. While we’ve been able to manage the injury through the year and the T20 World Cup, the shift to Test cricket and the increased batting loading has re-aggravated his elbow,” said New Zealand coach Gary Stead.

Related: Mumbai Weather Today for IND vs NZ 2nd Test

“Ultimately the injury is still not right and while he got through the Kanpur Test, it was clear playing in the second Test wasn’t an option,” he added.

Team News | BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson will miss the second and final Test against India in Mumbai as he continues to battle the left-elbow injury which has troubled him for much of 2021. More | https://t.co/VClIKxKI8Q #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/wGeA46LN4g

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 3, 2021

Related: Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja & Ishant Sharma Out of 2nd Test?

IND vs NZ Live

Indian captain Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India have made three forced changes as the injured trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma have been replaced by Virat Kohli, Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Siraj respectively.

Related: Ravi Ashwin Becomes India’s Third Highest Wicket-taker in Tests

India Playing 11: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

On the other hand, New Zealand have made a single change from the last match as Daryl Mitchell has come in for captain Kane Williamson.

New Zealand Playing 11: Tom Latham(c), Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell(w), Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, William Somerville, Ajaz Patel. 

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