Kane Williamson ruled out of Pune Test, confirms Stead

New Zealand coach Gary Stead on October 22 (Tuesday) confirmed that former captain and senior batter Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test against India in Pune. The highest run-getter in the Kiwi batting line-up missed the first Test as he did not travel with the side to Bengaluru. He is currently at home in Tauranga and nursing a groin injury. 

"We're monitoring Kane and he's tracking in the right direction, but still needs to be 100% fit. We hope to see further improvement over the coming days and have him available for the third Test. We'll give him as much time as possible to get himself ready but certainly continue to take a cautious approach,” Stead said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket. 

The Pune Test starts on October 24 (Thursday) and New Zealand, who are already leading 1-0 in the three-match series having won the Bengaluru Test by eight wickets, will have Will Young batting at three once again with Rachin Ravindra most likely to continue batting at number four. 

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