The New Zealand Cricket Board announced their full squad for the limited over series against India scheduled to begin from 22nd October at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. New Zealand had earlier announced a nine-member core squad but announced a 16 member squad on Saturday. India and New Zealand will play three One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals.
Before this series against New Zealand, India played a five-match ODI series against Australia. However, the series did not live up to the expectations and was a completely one-sided affair, in other words, it was one of the most boring India Vs Australia series as India won it 4-1. India’s recent domination at home has completely ruled out any competition by a touring team.
The last time India and New Zealand played against each other was in India in 2016 and India won the series 3-2. Both the teams came into the final ODI with the series level at 2-2 and India won the final ODI. The upcoming series is also expected to be competitive, and the Kiwis will be much more threatening than the Aussies.
Here are the reasons-:
- Experienced Batting Line Up
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The Kiwis, unlike the Aussies, have a qualified batting order with Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor being the prime batsmen around whom the entire batting line-up revolves. New Zealand’s coach Mike Hesson made it clear that Tom Latham will bat in the middle order in the upcoming ODI series. His presence in the middle order will give further more depth to the batting as he is an excellent player of spin bowling. Mitchell Santner can also chip in with a few runs down the order.
- Better Tactical Captain
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Kane Williamson as a captain can be judged as one of the finest tactician and reader of the game and can lead his team from the front in critical situations. Unlike Steven Smith, who has not had much of success as a captain, Williamson has enjoyed being the captain of his country. Williamson took over the captaincy after Brendon McCullum’s retirement and led New Zealand to four back to back wins in the 2016 T20 World Cup. In the ODI series in India last year, his team was up to the mark and gave India a run for their money only to fall at the final hurdle.
- Better Bowling Line Up
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The Australian team which played in the recently concluded ODI series was marred by injuries mostly to their bowlers. They came to India without Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood injured himself in the first ODI. Indian batsmen did not face any significant threat from the Australian bowlers, but this will not be the case in the New Zealand series as Trent Boult and Tim Southee have been very dangerous in the recent past. Mitchell Santner exploited the Indian conditions the last time they came to India and posed big issues for Indian batsmen.
- Inspiration from Previous Series
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The last time, Kiwis came to India they lost the series 3-2; however, this was also the last series in which India was tested in a limited over series at home. In the upcoming series, Williamson and his men can take inspiration from the 2016 series and turn the tide around this time. New Zealand has the resources and the experience to test India at home.
- Fresh and Rested
The last international match New Zealand played was in June in the Champions Trophy. They are coming into the series after a four months break and are appropriately rested and injury free except for their all-rounder Corey Anderson. India, on the other hand, has been on the road, playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and then hosting the Aussies.