Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will take over the captain's role for the first time in his career as regular skipper Kane Williamson continues to recover from a knee injury, and his deputy Tom Latham has been rested for the series.
Mumbai Indians bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders for a paltry 116 runs in their latest IPL encounter, winning the match by eight wickets.
The fierce Kohli and the mostly calm Williamson admire and respect each other as cricketers and more importantly as human beings.
Skipper Kane Williamson and fellow opener Martin Guptill forged the highest partnership in Twenty20 Internationals to secure New Zealand a series-levelling 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second match in Hamilton on Sunday.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the second and final Test against India, starting in Mumbai on Friday, with a left-elbow injury.
Williamson also showered praise on Umran Malik.
New Zealand registered a 13-run win over the West Indies in the first T20I to take 1-0 lead.
Opener Devon Conway and debutant Mitchell Hay struck half-centuries to earn New Zealand a handy first-innings lead of 73 before their depleted bowling attack reduced West Indies to 32 for two to take control of the second Test in Wellington on Thursday.
Warner, Haddin, and Williamson will now be quarantined according to the protocols for seven days before they join the squad for the IPL.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked India as the favourites in Sunday's Champions Trophy summit clash against New Zealand, but hastened to add that the advantage will be miniscule, given that the Black Caps are a formidable side.
Cricketers, current and former, shared New Zealand's pain on losing the title on boundary count with many of them asking for a "serious look" into the rule, slammed as "absurd".
India on Friday slipped a rung to sixth position on the World Test Championship standings after New Zealand's comprehensive nine-wicket victory against the West Indies in Wellington.
Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls both scored double centuries and shared a partnership of 363 as New Zealand flayed Sri Lanka's bowling to rack up an imposing 580/4 declared on the second day of the second Test.
Kane Williamson bowled just three overs during the second innings of the first Test which Sri Lanka won by six wickets.
Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson's woeful form will be in focus when Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad meet in a return IPL fixture at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Williamson suffered the injury while fielding for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League last Friday and returned to New Zealand.
A modest New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said his team was "fortunate" to be playing on similar wickets after pulling off a dramatic victory over Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 in Dharamsala on Friday.
New Zealand dismissed West Indies for 205 and reached 24 without loss in reply on the opening day of the second Test on Wednesday.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was on Thursday hit by a bug, compounding the visiting team's misery, but opener Tom Latham sounded optimistic about the batsman's availability in the second Test against India beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Captain Kane Williamson returns to the side after missing the second Test
Four New Zealand players, including Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, were given go-ahead by New Zealand Cricket to join their respective Indian Premier League teams without taking part in the home white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
New Zealand batsmen have the necessary skills to negotiate the Indian spinners on turning tracks but must apply themselves for longer periods, captain Kane Williamson said after his team's loss in the opening Test on Monday.
Kane Williamson's elbow niggle 'flared up a little bit' earlier this week and the New Zealand skipper could miss a few matches during the T20 World Cup, Kiwi head coach Gary Stead revealed.
Rachin Ravindra smashed 176, while skipper Tom Latham ended his three-year wait for a Test hundred as the New Zealanders combined for a 279-run stand to effectively bat West Indies out of the opening test at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Thursday.
Having already played their opening encounters in the ongoing cricket World Cup, it is time for New Zealand and the Netherlands to venture deep into the tournament as they face each other in Hyderabad on Monday.
England's phenomenal success in white-ball cricket has forced rivals to consider different set of players and coaches for the limited overs game and Tests but New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson feels only a team with a big talent pool can afford to take that route.
Kane Williamson highlighted the difference in Virat Kohli in comparison to 2008 when he made his ODI debut.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has released veteran opener Martin Guptill from his central contract
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has withdrawn from the second Test against West Indies and returned home to be with his pregnant wife, coach Gary Stead said on Thursday.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive century went in vain as Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma smashed half-tons as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets.
Daryl Mitchell becomes only the second player from New Zealand to hold the top the ICC ranking for ODI batters.
Kane Williamson's sentiment was also echoed by one of his senior teammates Ross Taylor, who was also critical of the points system.
While South Africa kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were ultimately restricted to what appeared to be a below-par score, Williamson was able to dig in, facing 138 balls. The captain, however, refused to rate his innings.
'It was still touch and go when I went out there to bat; to get through that hard period and Kane's been a fantastic captain and ambassador for the game and our country.'
A small group of fans turned up at the FTZ Sports Complex with a cake for Williamson who spent most of his 29th birthday watching his team toil in the field in less than ideal conditions in Katunayake on Thursday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
New Zealand look to carry a bit of confidence from the 3-0 ODI series whitewash of the visitors.
Williamson dethroned Smith, who slipped to the third spot after managing scores of 0 and 8 in the two innings against India at the MCG.
'Umran is a super exciting talent. Seeing him in the Indian international scene is an amazing rise'
