New Zealand recall Jacob Duffy for the India Tests, with Conway, Blundell and Ravindra racing to be fit

Wendy
November 11, 2026

New Zealand have named a 14-man squad under Tom Latham for the two-Test series against India, with fast bowler Jacob Duffy back after missing the tour of England, New Zealand Cricket announced on Wednesday.

The bigger story for India is the list of doubts. Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (quad), opener Devon Conway (concussion) and Rachin Ravindra (shoulder) are all in the squad but still working through injuries, and NZC says only that they are aiming to be fit for the first Test in Wellington on 19 November.

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Key points

Tom Latham captains a 14-man squad for Tests in Wellington (19 November) and Christchurch (27 November)
Jacob Duffy returns after missing the England tour; Matt Henry is over his quad injury
Tom Blundell, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra are all still working through injuries

Who is in and who is missing

The squad: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner and Will Young.

Duffy is the only addition to the group that went to England. He missed that tour for the birth of his first child, and his last Tests were the 2-0 home win over West Indies almost a year ago, when he took 23 wickets, AFP reported. Matt Henry is back after the quadriceps injury he picked up last month.

Three seamers from the England squad are absent: Ben Sears (ankle), Zak Foulkes (hip) and Will O’Rourke, who is on a return-to-play programme. “The squad is largely consistent with the team that competed in England earlier this year,” head coach Rob Walter said.

Five seamers for two pace-friendly grounds

Henry, Jamieson, Duffy, Smith and Tickner are competing for what will probably be three or four pace places, with Santner the only frontline spinner and Phillips as back-up. That is the shape you would expect for the Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval, and it is a very different examination from the one India set New Zealand in 2024, when the visitors won a Test series in India 3-0. This is the first Test meeting between the sides since.

The batting is where New Zealand are thin if the injuries bite. If Conway is not cleared, Young is the obvious opener alongside Latham. If Blundell does not make it, there is no second specialist wicketkeeper in the squad. Blundell, on 48 caps, would play his 50th Test at Hagley Oval if he is fit for both.

India have their own keeping question. Whether Rishabh Pant is fit to travel has still not been announced, and Dhruv Jurel kept wicket for India A in the build-up.

What happens next

The first Test runs from 19 to 23 November in Wellington, and the second from 27 November to 2 December in Christchurch. BJ Watling starts as New Zealand’s batting coach on 16 November, replacing Luke Ronchi. Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and India’s other Test players left the one-day squad for Wellington after the Hamilton washout. New Zealand then head to Australia for four Tests next month.

Market watch

Fitness news on Conway, Blundell and Ravindra will move New Zealand’s batting markets more than this squad does; watch for updates in the days before 19 November.
With five seamers to pick from at the Basin Reserve, top New Zealand bowler markets are spread wider than usual until the XI is known.
India’s Test series price should account for a full-strength New Zealand attack at home. Our cricket betting guides explain how series and match markets differ.

For more, see the latest match predictions and upcoming fixtures in our match centre.

Top image: Photo: Spawn Man / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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