Astle returned to his Christchurch home after the fifth one-dayer in Wellington, which India won, rather than travel with the team to Auckland.
Team manager Jeff Crowe said it was the same injury Astle suffered during last April's tour of Pakistan and he would be having an ultrasound scan later on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury.
Lou Vincent, dropped for the last two matches, has been recalled as Astle's replacement.
New Zealand hold an unassailable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series and beat India 2-0 in the Test series in December.
