Auckland, Nov 14 (IANS): New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Sunday replaced injured Devon Conway with in-form batter Daryl Mitchell in the Black Caps' Test squad for the upcoming GJ Gardner home tour of India.

Conway was earlier ruled out of the tour and the ICC T20 World Cup final against Australia with a broken hand sustained in New Zealand's semifinal win over England on November 10. The wicketkeeper-batter was ruled out following a freak injury that he picked up by striking his bat in frustration when dismissed against England.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said Conway would return home with the T20 squad after their three-game series in India next week, while Mitchell will stay on for the two-Test series starting later this month.

"It's a shame for Devon to miss out on the first series of the new World Test Championship cycle, but it also offers up an opportunity for someone else," Stead said on Sunday.

"Daryl's versatility means he can cover a lot of batting positions and he's certainly got plenty of confidence at the moment. He's proven he can perform in Test cricket and I know he's excited to rejoin the Test group," said Stead.

New Zealand head to India on November 15 to begin the tour with three T20 Internationals, the first of which is on November 17 in Jaipur, followed by Ranchi on the Nov 19 and Kolkata on the Nov 21.

The two-Test series starts in Kanpur on November 25 with the second Test in Mumbai from December 3.