Coach Gary Stead pinpointed Mitchell’s ‘versatility’ as a valuable aspect
Conway, who will miss the T20 World Cup final against Australia, suffered the self-inflicted injury when he thumped his bat after being dismissed in the semi-final against England.
Mitchell has played five Tests since making his debut in 2019 and made his maiden century against Pakistan in Christchurch in January.
“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,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “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.”
Conway’s first chance to return to the line-up will come against Bangladesh in early January when they tour New Zealand for two Tests. He has made a remarkable start to his Test career with a double century on debut against England at Lord’s in June which he followed with 80 in the second Test and another half-century in the World Test Championship final against India.
New Zealand will need to decide who replaces him at the top of the order for the two matches in Kanpur and Mumbai. Will Young could be the likely candidate although the uncapped Rachin Ravindra may also be considered as he would provide another spin option.
New Zealand travel to India on Monday, the day after the T20 World Cup final, with the opening T20I of the tour on Wednesday in Jaipur. Conway will travel to India with the squad before returning home with the T20 cohort following the three-game series. Players are still required to go through managed isolation when they return home.