Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson will play no part in the upcoming Twenty 20 international series against India.
Williamson will sit out the three-match series - which starts at Jaipur on Thursday - to rest and prepare for the two test matches to follow. Veteran seamer Tim Southee will captain the side in his absence.
With the first test starting November 25, Williamson will have almost two weeks of valuable recovery after a demanding T20 World Cup schedule.
The top-order batter played through an ongoing elbow injury to lead New Zealand to their first T20 World Cup final, where his magnificent knock of 85 runs off 48 balls wasn't enough to prevent his side falling to an eight-wicket defeat to Australia.
The Blackcaps play three T20s over five days in India, with the first test starting just three days after the third game.
Williamson will join the test specialist group - inlcuding Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls - already training at Jaipur, as they focus on the first step in defending the their world test crown.
Indian counterpart and close friend Virat Kohli will also rest for the T20 series, as well as the first test. He'll return for the second and final test at Mumbai, with Rohit Sharma stepping in as interim captain.
Lockie Ferguson’s recovery from a right calf-strain continues to progress well and he is expected to be available for the T20 series.
Ferguson was ruled out on the eve of the T20 World Cup, but has trained fully over the past week and now shapes as a likely starter for Thursday's series opener.
The squad is otherwise unchanged from the T20 World Cup, although Devon Conway's broken hand will keep him out of contention.
Blackcaps T20 squad against India: Tim Southee (captain), Daryl Mitchell, Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Todd Astle, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
