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New Zealand, which has just secured a historic ODI series win in India, has sustained an injury scar after their ODI captain, Michael Bracewell, sustained "a minor left calf strain." The Black Caps will be playing five T20I matches following the ODI series, starting from January 21, at Nagpur.

However, ahead of that, Bracewell got injured, which cast doubt on his participation in the five-match T20I series. New Zealand Cricket confirmed that he has still travelled with the team to Nagpur. Rob Walter, the head coach of the side in a board statement, clarified that the medical team will be treating and monitoring him for the coming days "before a decision on his further involvement in the tour is confirmed."

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Meanwhile, Northern Districts fast-bowling allrounder Kristian Clarke has earned a call-up to the T20I squad for the opening three matches of the series. Clarke, who recently made his international debut during the ODI series against India, impressed with seven wickets — including two three-wicket hauls — and also contributed valuable runs down the order in New Zealand’s victory.

Walter spoke highly about Clarke mentioning that they are facing several in and outs due to injuries and franchise cricket commitments. Walter said,

"We've got a fair bit of player movement at the moment with some guys returning from injury for this series, others joining us immediately from franchise cricket and the rest coming off the India ODI series and Super Smash. We want to ensure we've got enough pace-bowling options for the first three games of this series and it's a great opportunity for Kristian to stay on with the group a little longer on his first tour of India."

He added,

"He certainly showcased his talent in the ODI series, but what was particularly impressive was his calmness and ability to perform under pressure."

The squad features Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson as the primary pace options, while James Neesham provides depth as the batting allrounder.

Speaking about the Kiwis' maiden ODI series in India, Walter sounded delighted but mentioned the loops in the team that need to be rectified before they enter the T20 setup. He concluded,

"It was incredibly special to win the ODI series and create some history, There were lots of special performances combined with fantastic team work to achieve something that hadn't been done before. With a short turnaround to the T20 series we know we'll need to recover well and refocus quickly to be ready for the opening game on Wednesday night."

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Kristian Clarke (only for the first three games)