Will O’Rourke ruled out of India series for Injury Rehabilitation

As he continues to recover from injuries to his left hamstring and calf, New Zealand pacer William O'Rourke will miss the entire India tour.

O'Rourke, who was considered for the ODI and Test series, will not play against India as a "precaution" in order to get ready for the four-Test tour of Australia in December. This was confirmed by New Zealand Cricket.

It further delays O'Rourke's chances of playing in a home international match for the first time since April 2025, when he missed the summer because of a stress fracture in his back. After a seven-month period on the sidelines, O’Rourke marked his comeback during New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh in April, featuring in each of the three ODIs.

He then played each of the three Tests against England in June, where he tore his hamstring on the final day of the third Test in Nottingham, before straining his calf at training in late August.

Head coach Rob Walter stated, "It’s obviously disappointing for Will to have to miss such a marquee tour at home against India." “He was supposed to play in both the ODI series and the Test series, but after talking about it, we all agreed that it would be best for him to take some more time to recover from both injuries and safely build up his bowling loads.

“Our pace bowling resources will be critical over the next few months so we’re taking a conservative approach to Will’s return to ensure he’s fully fit before he takes the field again,” he added.

O'Rourke is now racing against time to be healthy enough to play in the first Test against Australia on December 9 in Perth.

Walter stated, "Ideally he'll be able to return for Canterbury in the Plunket Shield in the late December [November], and in a perfect world he'll be ready to go for the first Test against Australia in Perth on December 9."

O'Rourke was not included in New Zealand's T20I squad, which started on October 22 and consisted of five matches. Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes were unable to play because of injuries, so New Zealand had to make adjustments to their squad already. Josh Clarkson and Blair Tickner were named as replacements.

After the T20Is, there will be five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) starting on November 1 and two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch starting on November 19.