Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand‘s top-order batter, is in doubt for the upcoming five-match T20I series against India after suffering a shoulder injury during a promotional shoot, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Saturday. The blow for the Blackcaps came just days ahead of the squad announcement for the series, which is supposed to get underway in October 2022. In an official update, the NZC said that Rachin dislocated his right shoulder while attempting to take a diving catch during a promotional shoot with Sky in Auckland earlier this week.
The initial assessments were conducted on Friday, September 18, and they cleared the all-rounder of any major structural damage, but his return-to-play timeline will be determined by his progress during the first few weeks of his rehabilitation.
Hence, it is not known at this stage whether the left-hander would play any part in the contest against India, especially the T20Is.
The Blackcaps Performance Manager, Mike Sandle, said in an official statement that Ravindra landed awkwardly on the safety mat while attempting a catch during filming.
“It was a really unfortunate injury. We’re gutted for Rachin, and our key priority is making sure he recovers well and gets back on the field as soon as he can. As with all commercial shoots involving our players, the activities were agreed in advance by all parties, with appropriate safety measures in place,” Sandle said.
“It was a bit of a freak accident, and we’ll continue to review our processes around events like this in the future,” he added.
The priorities
On the other hand, New Zealand head coach Rob Walter added that Rachin’s long-term fitness was the priority.
“With a heavy schedule of Test cricket in the next six months, we don’t want to rush Rachin back sooner than we need to,” said Walter.
“He’s in great hands in terms of his rehab, and we look forward to welcoming him back soon,” he added.
The New Zealand squad for India is all set to be announced next week, with Mitchell Santner expected to lead the side against the defending T20 World Cup 2026 champions.
Speaking of Rachin, he has played 52 T20Is so far, scoring 759 with his highest scoring being 69. With the ball in hand, he has scalped 26 wickets, with his best figures being 4/27. He has also represented the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.
In the IPL 2026 edition, Rachin was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad but didn’t play a single game.
