Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman will miss the New Zealand ODI series against India this month, New Zealand said on Monday, as both players continue to recover from injuries. Ravindra is working back from a shoulder injury, while Chapman is recovering from a hamstring injury. The announcement came on 2 November, two days before the first match of the five-match New Zealand ODI series.
The New Zealand ODI series will run from 4 November to 15 November, after the two sides finished a five-match T20I series in New Zealand. India won that T20I series 3-2. The ODI series will be played in New Zealand, and the first match is scheduled for Eden Park in Auckland on 4 November. The sides will then play a two-match Test series starting on 19 November.
Ravindra has been a central figure for New Zealand in recent years. He bats in the top order and bowls left-arm spin, and his absence takes away a player who can shape a match in both roles. Chapman, a left-handed batter, has also been part of New Zealand’s white-ball plans, and his hamstring problem means the hosts will have to look elsewhere for middle-order runs in the New Zealand ODI series.
The Reuters report on the announcement, published on 2 November, did not name replacements for either player. That leaves the make-up of the New Zealand side for the opening match unclear at this stage. Team announcements for the first ODI will show how New Zealand plan to cover for the two absences, and whether they turn to players already in the wider squad or bring in fresh faces.
What Ravindra and Chapman miss in the New Zealand ODI series
The New Zealand ODI series is the middle leg of India’s tour. It follows the T20I series and comes before the Test series, so form and fitness in the ODI matches will feed into selection for the longer format as well. For New Zealand, losing two established players before the first ball is a setback, even with home conditions in their favour.
Ravindra’s shoulder injury is the more worrying of the two for the hosts, given how much of their batting and bowling balance rests on him. A top-order batter who can also bowl spin gives a captain options through the middle overs, and replacing that combination with one player is hard. Chapman offers a different kind of value, with clean striking against spin and pace, and his absence shortens the batting order.
New Zealand will still back their home record in ODI cricket. Conditions in Auckland and at the other venues on the tour tend to reward disciplined bowling and running between the wickets, and the hosts have depth in their pace attack. Even so, the loss of two players who were expected to feature through the New Zealand ODI series changes the balance of the side.
India arrive for the New Zealand ODI series after the T20I leg
India arrive for the New Zealand ODI series after a demanding start to the tour. The side landed in New Zealand, played the T20I series with little turnaround time, and won the first three matches before losing the last two. Head coach Gautam Gambhir praised captain Shreyas Iyer after the T20I series for leading a young bowling attack in unfamiliar conditions.
The ODI format will ask different questions of both sides. Batters have more time to build an innings, bowlers have to plan across 50 overs, and fielding sides have to stay sharp for longer spells. India have plenty of batting experience in the squad, and Gambhir has said that bowlers often decide ODI and Test series away from home. That view puts the focus on how India’s bowlers handle New Zealand conditions in the coming matches.
For New Zealand, the first ODI in Auckland will set the tone. A win there would ease the pressure created by the injury news, while a loss would put the hosts on the back foot early in a five-match series. The team said on Monday that Ravindra and Chapman will miss the series, and the rest of the squad will now have to carry the load. The series starts on 4 November, and the opening match will show how much the two absences matter.