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
