Astle ruled out of India series; Sodhi named replacement

Ish Sodhi was drafted into the New Zealand one-day squad on Thursday (October 19) after Todd Astle was ruled out of the upcoming limited-overs series against India. Sodhi was originally only part of the T20I squad but a groin strain to Astle has forced the New Zealand selectors to rope in the 24-year-old wrist spinner.

Astle suffered the injury after bowling only three deliveries in his first over in the warm-up game against Board President's XI at the Brabourne stadium on October 17. Scans later confirmed a tear on his right side, ruling Astle out of action for around three weeks.

The 31-year-old was in good form in the just-concluded one-day series between India A and New Zealand A, picking up six scalps at 27.83. His fine performances in the five-match series helped him to gain a place in the New Zealand ODI squad ahead of fellow legspinner Sodhi.

"Todd was really impressive in the recent New Zealand A tour over here and had done everything he possibly could to get himself ready for this series," said coach Mike Hesson. "He deserved this opportunity and everyone in the team is certainly feeling for Todd. He'll return to New Zealand and get himself ready for a big summer."

New Zealand will play one more warm-up game against the Board Presidents XI on Thursday ahead of the ODI series, which gets underway on Sunday at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

(CRICBUZZ)