India, the numero uno Test and one-day side, will now take on New Zealand for a short series of three ODIs and three T20I matches. India go into this series as overwhelming favourites and would like to continue their momentum from the Australian series. The team led by Virat Kohli is firing on all cylinders and is going through a purple patch, which started with the West Indies series (away) then continued in Sri Lanka (away) and the Aussies (home) were no match for the high flying and charged up Indians.
New Zealand over the years have punched above their weight and have exceeded expectations, especially when it comes to world tournaments. The team will be led by majestic and super calm Kane Williamson, who could be considered as one of the best players going around currently has fill the void left by explosive Brendon McCullum quite well. NZ will be tested no doubt and Indian conditions will be alien to them considering most of them will be touring India for the first time and the players are accustomed to playing in seaming and swinging conditions rather than playing on low and slow tracks.
Can NZ stop India’s winning run? This looks like tough when you compare teams on the paper, but cricket is not played on the paper and many NZ players such as Williamson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor have played in the IPL, so they are familiar with the Indian conditions and also with the Indian players. The Black Caps will be heavily relying on their senior players to take the team through and inexperienced players will have to chip in every now and then to help the experienced guys.
Also read: Life ban on Sreesanth restored: Unfulfilled career, unanswered questions, unending controversies
India, on the other hand, are on cloud nine and have been going about their business rather smartly and have found a perfect winning formula. The selection was on expected lines and men in blue will welcome the return of Shikhar Dhawan to lend solidity to the top order. India have still ignored their seasoned spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and have put faith in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal to make inroads and be counted as wicket-taking options. Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri would be telling players to guard against complacency and would be harping on doing the basics right.
NZ vs India have not been blockbuster contests and it has not created buzz and excitement over the years, but NZ is a very underrated and resilient side and India will not take them lightly. The series does not provide any context as the World Cup is still two years away and both the teams would like to fine-tune their balance ahead of the marquee event. This series in all fairness will be extremely tough and challenging for the Black Caps, but if they play as a team than they can spring a few surprises and Indian fans are eagerly waiting for a fierce contest and NZ would no doubt are ready for the challenge to beat men in blue in their own backyard.
