Kane Williamson ruled out of 2nd Test against India in Pune due to groin strain 

New Zealand batter Kane Williamson will not be fit for the upcoming second Test against India, scheduled to begin at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 24. The former skipper had missed the series opener in Bengaluru due to a groin strain, and he continues his recovery to be potentially available for the series finale in Mumbai.

Williamson had sustained the injury during New Zealand's 0-2 series loss against Sri Lanka away from home. The Kiwis had played Will Young at No. 3 in his absence in the first Test, which they historically won by eight wickets to take a rare series lead in the subcontinent.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed that the management will take a cautious approach to Williamson's recovery.

“We're monitoring Kane and he's tracking in the right direction, but isn't yet 100% fit. We're hopeful 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," Gary Stead said ahead of the second Test.

New Zealand would have loved for Williamson to return for the second Test, considering India are likely to turn to rank-turners after the unprecedented loss in Bengaluru. The right-handed batter is one of the best players in their squad against spin bowling and had a decent series with the bat in the Sri Lanka series.

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Kane Williamson averages 33.53 after eight Test appearances in India

The ace batter had famously scored a ton on his Test debut in Ahmedabad in 2010. Since then he has toured India thrice, with his last appearance being the famous tense draw at the Green Park in Kanpur in 2021.

Even on that tour, he was ruled out of the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium due to an elbow injury. On that occasion, Tom Latham had stepped in for Williamson as captain, only to suffer a loss by 372 runs, one of their biggest in history.

Williamson has fared well in India for a visiting batter, scoring 503 runs in 15 innings at an average of 33.53.