5 star cricketers from New Zealand's previous India tour who won't feature this time

The Blackcaps are back in India after a duration of 4 years to lock horns with the home side in the longest format of the game. The first of 3 Tests starts in Kanpur on 22^nd September and both teams will be looking to outwit each other over the next one month or so.

Back in 2012, though, it was the Indians who came up trumps with relative ease as they registered a clean sweep in a 2-Test series. While they inflicted an innings defeat over the tourists in the 1^st Test at Hyderabad, New Zealand managed to put up a fight in the 2^nd one before conceding the match by 5 wickets.

The Test squads for both the hosts and the visitors have certainly undergone quite a few changes in the past 4 years and a number of faces who played in 2012 are missing. Some of the less prominent names include players like Daniel Flynn, Chris Martin, James Franklin, Jeetan Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla and Subramaniam Badrinath.

Among other absentees, Kiwi bowler Tim Southee was forced to pull out due to injury, whereas Gautam Gambhir has been struggling to get back into the Indian team.

Apart from these players, there are a few superstars who were part of the previous series but will not be seen in action this time.

Here are 5 such star cricketers who will be missed during the upcoming India-New Zealand series:

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#5 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan retired from the game last year

One of the big players from India’s squad in 2012 who will not be around this time is left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan. The Mumbai cricketer, who played his last Test back in 2014, decided to call time on his highly successful career late last year.

Zaheer’s performance when New Zealand came touring 4 years ago, though, did not match up to the high standards that he set for himself. He was able to manage just 3 wickets in 4 innings at an average nearing 60 and best inning figures of 2 for 83.

The current Indian team has a bunch of talented fast bowlers but none of them has been able to fill Zaheer Khan’s shoes as the leader of the pace attack so far.

#4 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag’s swashbuckling batting is now a part of India’s cricketing history

The man who redefined the art of opening batting in Tests, Virender Sehwag, is another player from the previous series who will not be donning the whites for India this time. With all his attempts to get back into the national team going in vain, the Delhi-born cricketer hung his boots on 20 October 2015.

When New Zealand came touring in 2012, Sehwag was enduring the leanest patch of his career which culminated in his ouster from the Indian team a few months later. The dashing right-hander had a moderately successful series with 128 runs in 3 innings but he failed to register even a single half-century.

Although the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, and KL Rahul have all done a decent job as openers, none of them has reached anywhere near the level of Virender Sehwag yet.

#3 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum retired as one of his country’s best skipper of all-time

The only superstar from the New Zealand team which toured India in 2012 who will be missed this year is none other than the dashing opener, Brendon McCullum.

The iconic Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman who took off the wicket-keeping gloves towards the end of his career, established himself as one of New Zealand's finest captains before his retirement earlier this year.

During the 2012 India-New Zealand series, McCullum played under the leadership of teammate Ross Taylor and looked woefully out of form with the bat. In 4 innings, the hard-hitting batsman could muster just 87 runs at a shoddy average of 21.75 and with a top score of 42.

The New Zealand team, though, will miss not only Brendon McCullum’s able leadership but also his ability to play a game-changing innings.

#2 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni had unprecedented success as a skipper in home Tests

One of the most popular figures in modern-day cricket, MS Dhoni is among the big names missing from the 2012 Indian squad against New Zealand. Although the Ranchi-born cricketer is still active in limited-overs international cricket, he retired from the longest version in 2014.

Dhoni was in spectacular form during the 2012 India-New Zealand series and emerged as the 3^rd highest run-scorer. The wicketkeeper-batsman had a tally of 183 runs in just 3 innings at a phenomenal average of over 91 which included two half-centuries.

Although Virat Kohli has been doing a spectacular job as skipper ever since he took over from MS Dhoni, Team India will certainly miss out on his services as a middle-order batsman in home conditions.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was certainly not at his best during the fag end of his career

One of the world’s greatest batsmen ever, Sachin Tendulkar is easily the most prominent name missing from India’s roster in their 2012 home series against the Kiwis. After a legendary career which lasted 24 long years, the Mumbai batsman called it a day from international cricket on 16 November 2013.

Tendulkar was way past his best when the Indians took on New Zealand in 2012 and had a poor series with the bat. The master batsman managed a paltry tally of 63 runs in 3 innings at an average of 21 and failed to score a single half-century.

Players like Sachin Tendulkar, though, come once in a generation and it is a nearly impossible task for Team India to be able to find a replacement for him.