IND vs NZ ODI series preview: As India face a tougher opponent in New Zealand, focus should be to establish an aggressive batting unit

India face a new challenge at home in New Zealand after clean sweeping Sri Lanka. NZ are surely the tougher opponents who have been playing good cricket of late. The Black Caps just beat Pakistan in their backyard in ODIs and would be high on confidence. It would be exciting to see two good sides who have played a lot of cricket against each other at loggerheads again.

Food for thought: Ishan Kishan at 3

India had to make some forced changes for this series as both KL Rahul and Axar Patel are not available due to family commitments and I am curious now to see how India change their batting lineup. I believe Ishan Kishan comes in now and it will be a new challenge for him batting at No 5. I am sure India will stick with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the top.

But here’s an interesting thing India may like to do, keeping in mind the World Cup and how teams around the world are changing their batting approach. Virat Kohli has been scoring tons of runs at 3 but maybe India need to be more flexible in their batting order to use the powerplay overs even better. Maybe use Kishan at 3 when a wicket falls early and ensure the runs continue to come thick and fast in overs 1 to 10. Here, you can call Kishan a backup opener, whose job is the same as Rohit or Gill. For that, they need to be flexible in order to use the resources and play the first 10 overs even better. If the wicket do es not fall in the first six overs, they can of course go back to Kohli at 3 again.

The World Cup is India and you will have surfaces where massive number of runs will be on offer. India’s challenge now is to put together a strong batting unit and use it well too. The sides all over the world are now looking at building batting units that can chase down even a 400. That is why I see Kishan playing at 3 if either of the openers fail and fall early. The point is that when the team is in a position, it should look to push for scores around 400.

Kishan and, for that matter, even KL Rahul are the kind of batters who can come a little early, at 3 that is, and smash it all over the park if there is an early blow. That they are used as flexible options. India must ensure now that a final score of 370 becomes a 400. Like how England does. How they try and go one up against the opponent and push the boundaries, get to 400, 420 on the board. India surely have the ability to cross 400s if conditions suit. And they have the ability push for big scores. They just need to flexible enough in their batting order to make that possible.

Sundar the right man to replace Axar

Axar is out too and I think they are going to play Washington Sundar in his place. I think Sundar is a very talented cricketer. He has a very useful off-spin and can bat well too. He is an able replacement for Axar. I don’t see too much change in the bowling. The seamers will remain pretty much the same – Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya. And like I have said in my previous articles, India should now look to play their best side, their strongest side leading to the World Cup. By now, you must know which is your best XI and play them as much as possible. Obviously, forced changes and personal breaks will be there but try and play the best XI as much as possible.

New Zealand can pose a big challenge even in Indian conditions

New Zealand are a strong cricket side. And they have things going for them. Captain Kane is not available for this series and so his absence will be felt. In his absence, Devon Conway’s contribution will be crucial because he scores quickly and can also anchor the innings. He is a key player in the top order.

I also love watching Glenn Philips. He can change the course of the match in the middle overs. Daryl Mitchell is a solid batter and Tom Latham loves the Indian conditions. He is very good against the spin and keeps the scoreboard ticking. NZ have got a nice mix of power, belligerence and also skill. That makes them a tough side, even in these conditions.

New Zealand’s bowling is also in good shape. They have got three spin options in Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell. They have got a lot of pace in Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne and Matt Henry. I have said it earlier too that pace element in ODI cricket is very important. You need Fergusons, Henrys to break the stubborn partnerships. And these three will be hugely important for New Zealand in ODIs for the same reason.

New Zealand have got a making of a really good one-day side even in Indian conditions. Not to forget that a lot of New Zealand players have experience of playing in India thanks to the IPL. That is why I feel this is going to be a tough series and India will have to be at their best to beat Kiwis even in their backyard.

The Black Caps should be very happy that they get to play in India, months before the World Cup, because it helps in the planning. It will be an important series for the visitors to find the right balance for their side in the Indian conditions. That is the only question mark for them and I think they will be looking to understand which bowling combinations work better in the Indian conditions, that whether they need to play 3 spinners here or should they back their pacers to do the job. That answer will solve their problem related to balance of the side.