New Zealand batter Martin Guptill is unlikely to play against India after injuring his toe in the Black Caps’ opening match against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Tuesday (October 26).
Guptill, New Zealand's most experienced player in the squad, took a blow to the big toe from a Haris Rauf delivery before being dismissed for 17 during his team’s five-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 opener on Tuesday in Sharjah.
After the game, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead revealed that Guptill was “looking in a little bit of discomfort” and the next 24 to 48 hours will be decisive to know whether the batter can play in their crucial game against India on Sunday (October 31) in the T20 World Cup 2021.
Stead told reporters, “We'll see how he scrubs up overnight. He looked in a little bit of discomfort at the end of the game and it might take 24 to 48 hours to see how he goes.”
He was also disappointed that the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Technical Committee had not approved Adam Milne as a replacement for Lockie Ferguson in time for him to play against Pakistan.
The coach added, “We tried pretty hard today to get across the line with the ICC our replacement player, but it wasn't to be. That was really disappointing for us because Adam Milne is someone who's waiting in the wings as a like-for-like replacement. We'll seek clarification on that decision of theirs.”
Stead also said that Pakistan has now become hot favorites at the T20 World Cup following back-to-back wins over India and New Zealand with the rest of the teams in the group fighting for second place.
He signed off by saying, “You would imagine that Pakistan are now the hot favorites in our group to be the number one seed and the rest of us are fighting it out for the next spot, which makes the India game pretty critical. You sometimes have to lose one to find out the important things for you. If we can go and beat India then we certainly put ourselves back on the right track.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
