As New Zealand gear up for their Test series against India, former skipper Tim Southee's place will be under question for the first match in Bengaluru. Southee, who stepped down as the Test captain after his team's 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka, might miss out on a place in the Playing XI for the opening game starting on October 16.
The reason behind this potential move is due to his poor form in 2024 where he has taken eight wickets in 11 innings at an average of 73.12.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has stated that the discussions with Southee after the Sri Lanka series were private but highlighted that his decision to step down from captaincy allows the team to have better flexibility in selection.
"Like all Test tours and series we have reviews at the end of it and Tim and I had a conversation around it, then he made the decision to stand down," Stead said. "He thought it was in the best interests of the team. I supported his decision around that.
"It allows different players to be considered in roles and as a selector and coach you are always trying to put what you think is the very best team out there. With Tim as captain, he was the guy who was starting for us and leading that team and think we were always looking at the options that were best for the team going forward," he added.
If the Kiwis go with two pacers, Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke are likely to be the first two picks. If they decide to go with three, the Kiwis would have to make a call between Southee and tearaway Ben Sears.
The coach stated that both the bowlers also offer a bit with the bat, having scored half-centuries in the format. "They've both scored fifties so that's always the balance that possibly in New Zealand you think about more, especially if it's going to be real seamer-friendly," Stead said. "Think here the first thing you want to do is make sure you've got the bowlers you think can take 20 wickets."
