'Concussed' Conway ruled out of first ODI vs India after collision with Henry

Auckland: Devon Conway has been ruled out of the ODI series opener against India, scheduled for Wednesday, due to concussion after a collision with fast bowler Matt Henry during New Zealand's pre-match training session at Eden Park on Tuesday, New Zealand Cricket said.

Conway and Henry collided while attempting a catch during the training at Eden Park. Both players were immediately treated by medical staff on-site and received head injury assessments.

NZC said in a statement that "Conway was taken to A&E for further examination, which confirmed a concussion that has ruled him out of the first ODI against India tomorrow."

"Both players will continue to be monitored and their involvement in the Hero VIDA ODI series against India," it added.

Conway is the latest addition to New Zealand's list of injured players, with batters Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra having already been ruled out of the five-match ODI series with hamstring and shoulder injuries.

Tim Seifert, who was originally only in consideration for the first two ODIs, had been included in the squad for the entire series on Monday. Captain Mitchell Santner indicated that Seifert would likely play if Conway was ruled out.

"I guess Seifert is the back-up batter in our squad. So it'll probably be a direct swap if Dev's unavailable, which is a shame. He (Conway) is obviously very good in one-day cricket and was biding his time in the T20 series. And I guess another one of those freak accidents that happens," Santner told reporters on the eve of the match.

Fresh from a 3-2 T20I series win, India will begin the ODI leg of their New Zealand tour when the first of five matches gets underway at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday.

India will welcome back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the 50-over setup, while Shubman Gill leads the side for the first three games before Shreyas Iyer takes over for the final two.

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