Conway out of India ODI opener after head clash with Henry; Seifert to replace

New Zealand opener Devon Conway will miss the first ODI against India on Wednesday after suffering a head injury during a training collision with teammate Matt Henry at Eden Park. The two players were attempting a catch when they clashed, and Conway was ruled out with concussion following a head injury assessment, New Zealand Cricket confirmed in a statement.

"Both players will continue to be monitored and their involvement in the series against India will be updated in due course," the statement read. New Zealand are already without Rachin Ravindra, who has a shoulder injury, and Mark Chapman, who is nursing a hamstring problem.

Captain Mitchell Santner confirmed that Tim Seifert will take Conway's place but remained hopeful Henry would be available for the opener. "He is obviously very good in one-day cricket and was biding his time in the T20 series," Santner said of Conway.

"I guess another one of those freak accidents that happens." Gill and batter KL Rahul will sit out the final two ODIs to prepare for the two Tests that follow, with Shreyas Iyer set to take over the captaincy for those games.

The ODI series is the second leg of India’s full tour of New Zealand, which started with a five-match T20I series that concluded on Sunday with the visitors winning 3-2. It starts on Wednesday in Auckland, while the last match is set to be held on Sunday in Mount Maunganui.

The tour ends with two Test matches starting on November 19 in Wellington. Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.