Mount Maunganui, Oct. 1 -- head of the series opener against Australia, star New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series after suffering an injury. A

Ravindra collided with a boundary hoarding during a fielding drill at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday and suffered a facial laceration that required stitches, with the Black Caps calling up experienced all-rounder Jimmy Neesham into their squad as his replacement, as reported by ICC.

The injury will force Ravindra to spend some time on the sidelines, with the left-hander to sit out the three-match battle against Australia that commences on Wednesday.

"We're all really disappointed for Rachin to be forced to miss the series. He sustained a ma...