Black Caps add impressive youngster to squad for India T20Is

New Zealand have added young all-rounder Kristian Clarke to their squad for the first three games for their upcoming T20I series against India as the team battles a pair of injury concerns prior to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Clarke will stay with the Black Caps for the first three matches of the T20I series that commences in Nagpur on Wednesday, with fellow seamer Adam Milne and experienced spinner Michael Bracewell both battling injuries in the lead-up to the series.

Milne hurt his hamstring playing in the SA20 domestic tournament in South Africa, while Bracewell injured his calf in the third and final match of the recent three-match ODI series that New Zealand defeated India in.

Both players are in New Zealand's 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup that commences on February 7 and will be hoping to prove their fitness for the 20-over showcase during the backend of the five-game series with India.

Clarke's inclusion for the India series comes on the back of some impressive showings with the ball in the ODI contests and New Zealand coach Rob Walter said his call-up for the T20I matches was well deserved.

“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," Walter said.

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

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

Series schedule:

First T20I: January 21, Nagpur

Second T20I: January 23, Raipur

Third T20I: January 25, Guwahati

Fourth T20I: January 28, Visakhapatnam

Fifth T20I: January 31, Thiruvananthapuram

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