Having recently suffered a 0-2 whitewash in Sri Lanka, New Zealand’s upcoming tour of India for a three-Test rubber suffered a massive blow after their star batter Kane Williamson’s departure was delayed due to a groin strain. The BlackCaps have named uncapped batter Mark Chapman as a cover for the former skipper.

Williamson picked up a groin injury during New Zealand’s innings and 154-run loss to Sri Lanka last month and has been advised to stay home for rehab ahead of the first Test against India in Bengaluru from October 16.

While New Zealand haven’t completely ruled out Williamson for that opening ICC World Test Championship contest, the right-hander and No.2 ranked Test batter in the world won’t fly out with his teammates to India on Friday and is only likely to appear in the backend of the three-match Test series.

“The advice we’ve received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury. We’re hopeful that if the rehabilitation goes to plan Kane will be available for the latter part of the tour,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said.

“While it’s obviously disappointing to not have Kane available from the start of the tour, it provides an opportunity for someone else to play a role in an important series,” he added.

In the absence of Williamson, the 30-year-old Chapman could make his Test debut following a string of good performances in white-ball contests for his country. Wells believes Chapman can flourish at Test level if given the chance and thinks conditions in the sub-continent will suit his batting style.

“We believe Mark is one of our best players of spin and has a proven track-record in the sub-continent. Mark has displayed an ability to play spin proactively in the international arena, and combined with his excellent first-class record, we see him as someone who can succeed in the type of conditions we expect to encounter in India,” Wells said.

All-rounder Michael Bracewell will travel with the rest of the squad for the first Test before returning home for the birth of his second child and will be replaced by spinner Ish Sodhi for the remainder of the series.

New Zealand currently sit in sixth place on the World Test Championship standings, while India remain on top following a recent 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh. After the first Test from October 16-20 in Bengaluru, the teams will move to Pune for the second Test from October 24-28 before the series culminates in Mumbai with the third and final Test, scheduled from November 1-5.

New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd & 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young