KEY POINTS:
New Zealand will take a raw-looking side featuring four newcomers to India for the Four-Nation tournament starting later this month.
A number of senior players are unavailable for the Punjab Gold Cup from January 31 to February 9 in Chandigarh which will comprise games against India, Olympic champions Germany and traditional powerhouse Holland.
New Zealand are late replacements for Pakistan, who pulled out last week as the government had refused to clear the team to go to India following the deadly Mumbai attacks in November.
Black Sticks coach Shane McLeod has selected four debutants in his 18-strong squad - North Harbour trio Priyesh Bhana, David Green and Shay Neal, along with Wellington's Blair Hilton - for the tournament.
Green and Neal had already been named in the squad to face India in a home series in late February.
Bhana and Hilton come in for Bryce Collins and Brad Shaw, who can't make the trip to Chandigarh.
Bhana has been excelling in the Belgium club competition, while Hilton has been rewarded after his strong performances for the Junior Black Sticks in Australia last month.
Established internationals Ryan Archibald, Blair Hopping, David Kosoof, Hayden Shaw, Ben Collier and Shay McAleese will miss the India tour, with all six Olympians having already made themselves unavailable for the February home series.
In the absence of inside forwards Archibald, Collier, McAleese and Collins McLeod will run Phil Burrows and Steve Edwards in the midfield.
Richard Petherick and Andy Hayward will also get an opportunity to become a long-term replacement drag flick option to Hayden Shaw.
The tournament affords McLeod and the Black Sticks a taste of playing in India, which will host the 2010 World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand squad
Kyle Pontifex (Wellington), Steven Graham ( Midlands), Dean Couzins (Auckland), Richard Petherick (Midlands), Andy Hayward (Canterbury), David Green (North Harbour), Nick Haig ( Canterbury), James Nation (Auckland), Casey Henwood (Midlands), Steve Edwards (North Harbour), Phil Burrows (Wellington), Blair Hilton (Wellington), Lloyd Stephenson (Midlands), Shay Neal ( North Harbour), Joel Baker (Wellington), Nick Wilson ( Central), Priyesh Bhana (North Harbour), Simon Child ( Auckland)
- NZPA
