"Unlikely to be available for the England Test series": Gary Stead on Ben Sears' injury

Fast bowler Ben Sears is set to miss the three-match Test series against England, although New Zealand coach Gary Stead remains hopeful that he may return for the latter part of the home summer. Sears had already been sidelined for the entire Test series in India due to a knee injury. The 26-year-old experienced discomfort in his left knee while training ahead of the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka and underwent minor surgery on Wednesday.

"Unlikely to be available for the England Test series," Stead said of Sears, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "Ben is going in for a minor knee operation today. Hopefully, he'll recover soon. I'm optimistic he'll be part of the summer," he added. "It's not a major operation - just a bit of a clean-up on his knee - so we're hopeful he'll be back up and running by Christmas," he said.

Sears made his Test debut in Christchurch in March this year, taking a five-wicket haul against Australia, which secured him a place on the subsequent six-Test tour of the subcontinent. He prepared for the challenge with a four-day camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai, but his injury ruled him out.

Sears' absence may open the door for his Wellington teammate Nathan Smith to make his Test debut. Smith, a bowling allrounder, was added to New Zealand's central contracts list in September. He was the top wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Plunket Shield, claiming 33 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.18 and had a recent stint with Worcestershire in the county season.

In the ongoing series in Pune, New Zealand created history by securing their first-ever Test series win in India, leading 2-0 and aiming for a clean sweep. India, meanwhile, will look to end the series on a high note. In the current match, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat. Half-centuries from Devon Conway (76 off 141 balls, with 11 fours) and Rachin Ravindra (65 off 105 balls, with five fours and a six) set the Kiwis up at 197/3, with Ravichandran Ashwin (3/41) providing the only early breakthrough. Following Conway's dismissal, Washington Sundar (7/59) tore through the lineup, bowling New Zealand out for 259.

India, hoping to surpass the target, faced an early setback as skipper Rohit Sharma fell for a duck. Shubman Gill (30 off 72 balls, with two fours and a six) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30 off 60 balls, with four boundaries) attempted to stabilise with a 49-run partnership. However, Gill's dismissal triggered a collapse, as Mitchell Santner (7/53) and Glenn Phillips (2/26) dismantled India's batting, restricting them to 156. Ravindra Jadeja top-scored with 38 off 46 balls, striking three fours and two sixes.

In their second innings, New Zealand extended their lead with a strong showing. Skipper Tom Latham scored 86 off 133 balls, with 10 fours, while Phillips (48 off 82 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Tom Blundell (41 off 83 balls, with three fours) stretched their 103-run first-innings lead to a formidable 358, with the team eventually bowled out for 255. Sundar (4/56) again led the bowling, while Jadeja (3/72) and Ashwin (2/97) wrapped up the lower order and tail.

Chasing 359, India began well with a solid 62-run opening partnership between Jaiswal and Gill (23 off 31 balls, with four boundaries). However, after Jaiswal's dismissal for 77 off 65 balls, featuring nine fours and three sixes, the innings faltered against the Kiwi spinners, with India ultimately bowled out for 245, losing the Test by 113 runs. This marked India's first home series loss in 12 years. Santner (6/104) starred with the ball, taking 13 wickets in the match, with support from Phillips and Ajaz Patel, wrapping up the Test two days early. (ANI)