Auckland: New Zealand have suffered a major setback in their one-day international series against India, with opening batter Devon Conway ruled out of the remaining matches after sustaining a concussion during a training session.
The 35-year-old left-hander will play no further part in the five-match series, New Zealand Cricket confirmed on Friday, leaving the hosts without one of their most experienced top-order players as they look to recover from defeat in the opening match.
Conway suffered the injury on Tuesday, during a fielding practice session in Auckland on the eve of the first ODI, when he collided with fast bowler Matt Henry while attempting to take a catch. The collision was described by captain Mitchell Santner as a "nasty" one, and Conway had to be taken to the Accident and Emergency unit of an Auckland medical facility for assessment.
He missed the series opener at Eden Park on Wednesday, which India won by five wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in a rain-affected match to take a 1-0 lead.
Further examinations confirmed that Conway had sustained a concussion serious enough to sideline him for the rest of the series. "Devon Conway has been ruled out of the remaining ODIs against India after sustaining a concussion while fielding during training on Tuesday," New Zealand Cricket said in a statement.
The left-handed batter will now focus on his recovery, with the two-match ICC World Test Championship series against India, beginning in Wellington on November 19, his next major target.
Left-handed batter Nick Kelly, who was originally selected only for the fourth and fifth ODIs, has been called into the squad early as Conway's replacement. Kelly will join the team in Wellington on Friday and will be available for the second match of the series on Saturday. Auckland Aces batter Dale Phillips has been called up to the New Zealand A squad as Kelly's replacement for the final four-day match against India A, which also begins on Saturday.
There was better news for New Zealand on the other half of the collision. Matt Henry, who was involved in the fielding mishap with Conway, has been cleared of concussion and will be available for selection for the second ODI. Henry had also missed the series opener after the incident, and his return will strengthen a bowling attack that needs to find a way to contain India's batting.
The loss of Conway is a significant blow to the hosts. As an opener, he provides stability at the top of the order, and his experience in anchoring an innings is hard to replace at short notice. New Zealand were already without the momentum of a series lead, having lost the opening match in Auckland, and they now face the rest of the series without a player who has been a mainstay of their white-ball sides.
The second ODI will be played at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, with the hosts looking to level the series and India aiming to extend their lead.
Kelly, the replacement, is a left-handed batter who had been named in the squad for the final two matches of the series. His early call-up is a mark of the regard in which he is held, but stepping into a series against India at short notice, with the team 1-0 down, is a demanding assignment. How quickly he settles will be one of the key questions of the Wellington match, and of the series as a whole.
The injury also has implications beyond the ODI series. Conway's next target, the two-Test series against India starting on November 19 in Wellington, is a major assignment in the World Test Championship, and his recovery will be watched closely. A concussion that rules a player out of four one-day matches raises obvious questions about his readiness for Test cricket two weeks later, and New Zealand's medical staff will be cautious about his return.
For now, the priority is his recovery, and any decision on the Tests will be taken closer to the time.
The incident is a reminder of how quickly a series can change shape in training. Conway and Henry were taking part in a routine fielding session, the kind of practice that teams go through before every match, when the collision happened. Fielding drills, with players running at full speed to take catches, carry a real risk of collision, and the consequences in this case have been serious.
The fact that both players were affected — one ruled out of the series, the other sidelined for the opening match — shows how a single moment in practice can have a lasting impact.
New Zealand's wider squad picture has also been unsettled by injury. Top-order batter Henry Nicholls was added to the ODI squad last week, and the New Zealand A squad has been hit by injuries too, with fast bowlers Simon Keene ruled out with a hamstring problem and Ben Lister and Fraser Sheat sidelined with side injuries.
The A squad is due to begin the third match of its unofficial Test series against India A in Lincoln on Saturday, and Phillips' call-up as Kelly's replacement is the latest change in a disrupted preparation.
For India, the news changes the shape of the opposition they face, but not their task. They began the five-match series with a five-wicket victory in a rain-affected first ODI at Eden Park, taking a 1-0 lead, and they will look to press home their advantage in Wellington. The visitors have their own momentum to maintain, and the second ODI on Saturday offers them the chance to go 2-0 up in the series.
New Zealand, meanwhile, must find a way to bounce back without one of their senior batters, and with a replacement opener stepping in at short notice.
The series, which runs across five matches, is a significant engagement for both sides ahead of a busy summer. For New Zealand, the Tests that follow carry World Test Championship points, and the ODI series is an opportunity to build form and confidence. Losing Conway for the remainder of the one-day matches is a setback, but the hosts will hope that Henry's return and Kelly's arrival can stabilise the side.
The response in Wellington on Saturday will show how well they have absorbed the blow.
(Reporting based on The Times of India and ESPNcricinfo.)