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India vs New Zealand 2nd Test: Kane Williamson ruled out, Ross Taylor named Kiwis’ captain

New Zealand, already having lost the first Test by a margin of 197 runs to India in the first Test at Kanpur, will now be captained by Ross Taylor.

Kane Williamson was New Zealand's best batsman going into the second Test © Getty Images (File photo)
Kane Williamson was New Zealand’s best batsman going into the second Test © Getty Images (File photo)

In what comes as a massive blow to New Zealand on the morning of the second Test against India at Kolkata, their captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the match. New Zealand, already having lost the first Test by a margin of 197 runs to India in the first Test at Kanpur, will now be captained by Ross Taylor. Losing Williamson from the captaincy point of view is not the only worry for the Kiwis, as the right-hander remains their best batsmen in these conditions. ‘Williamson has been ruled out of the BLACKCAPS second Test in Kolkata with illness’, tweeted the official account of New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

It was reported on Thursday that the Kiwis’ captain had missed the training session at the Eden Gardens ahead of the second Test, after being hit by a bug that raised concerns over his fitness for this match. Opening batsman Tom Latham had expressed confidence that Williamson will be fit before the match. It was important for New Zealand to have their best batsman in the side. In the first match, Williamson partnered with Latham to provide New Zealand a very strong platform from which they could have dominated the opening Test against India. In the two innings that he played at Kanpur, Willliamson scored 75 and 25, and was dismissed by ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. In fact, Williamson was the 200th batsman that Ashwin dismissed in his Test career — in the second innings — to become the second fastest bowler ever to take 200 wickets in Test cricket.  LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test at Kolkata, Day 1

“Kane is a little bit crook (sick) today so he won’t be training. Hopefully he’ll be fine to go tomorrow,” Latham was quoted as saying by AFP. “There is no discomfort, he is just down with a bug. Nothing too major, he is just resting up and getting right for tomorrow.”  The report added that Williamson’s 124-run second-wicket partnership with Latham in the first innings was a bright spot for the visitors, who had their moments in the game. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test at Kolkata, Day 1

Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner also hit fighting half-centuries in the second innings and Latham said a little more consistency could reap dividends. “Nothing really changes too much (from Kanpur). You have to do all the cliche things you need to do at the start of an innings,” he said. “We weren’t too far away in the first test. As Hess (coach Mike Hesson) has alluded to, we just need to do things for a little bit longer. If we can do that with bat and ball it will a good chance in this match.”

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