After being put through their paces in a demanding net session, New
Zealand's players, stationed just beyond the boundary fences, soaked in
the surroundings. Mobile phones were whipped out in attempts to compress
the scenic landscape of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association
Stadium into mere megabytes of information.
Perhaps it was the setting - closest to that back in New Zealand - or the beautiful promise of not having to contend with Ravichandran Ashwin and his spin subtleties anymore on the tour, Kane Williamson and Co. seemed at ease with themselves ahead of the five-match One-Day International series. Right there in that moment, it would have been easy to overlook the fact that New Zealand were just coming out of a 3-0 drubbing in the Test series. Or that the two key senior members of the side, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, had averaged 27 and 15 respectively in an insipid show of technique and temperament against spin.
However, with the liberty of selective memory, New Zealand would appear to start on an even footing in an ODI series against India, despite their unsightly bilateral record against their hosts in these shores - 0-4. Their ODI stocks have been on a rise since Brendon McCullum impressed upon his teammates his own brand of devil-may-care attitude to the format so much so that Guptill, who broke into cold sweat at the sight of spin in the Tests, walks into this ODI series with four scores of 50 or more in his last six ODI innings.
Having achieved their best result in a World Cup last year where they lost to co-hosts Australia in the final, New Zealand have won four of their last six bilateral competitions, including a series win over Australia at the Chappell-Hadlee series in their most recent assignment. By their own admission, they are a 'very good ODI side.'
By contrast, their hosts have won only 10 of their last 19 ODIs - a statistic that lends more inference material after accounting for the fact that six of those wins have come against Zimbabwe. Despite the individual brilliance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, post-2015, India is yet to crack the middle-order code for ODI success that was once the crowning jewel in MS Dhoni's strategy CV. The absence of an assured fifth bowler, capable of doubling up as a finisher, has also reduced the Indian skipper's efficacy with the bat.
And so, amidst a season that merited an unwavering focus on Test cricket, India's ODI team has thrown open the doors to new talent in the the hope of revitalising its fortunes ahead of bigger Tests just around the corner. It is not to say that they're playing a second-string side like some of the teams they sent out to Zimbabwe. In Axar Patel and Amit Mishra, they still have bowlers capable of reminding New Zealand that their spin trial is far from over. India begin the first of their eight ODIs before the Champions Trophy with a silent prayer and a hope that somewhere along the way, this invesment leads to the discovery of the missing pieces to their ODI jigsaw.
India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, October 16, 13.30 IST; 08:00 GMT
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
A pleasant October's day with a high of 22 degree Celsius, dipping into the low sub-twenties in the late evening. On the eve of the match, the grass cover on the pitch looked like a shave gone bad. Expect the unevenness to be scrubbed off.
Ajinkya Rahane, in all likelihood, will be pushed up to the top of the order in Shikhar Dhawan's absence. This series could be the making of Rahane, the ODI cricketer. With Dhoni expressing reservations about Rahane's utility in the middle order, the series provides the mild-mannered batsman an opportunity to cash in from a position he is likely to be more at home. With Suresh Raina missing the series opener with a viral fever, India will look to bolster their middle order. Kedar Jadhav, who enjoyed a lengthy stint in the nets could play as a pure batsman. There's also the theory of playing three all-rounders in their top eight, thus handing both Hardik Pandya and Jayant Yadav their ODI debuts. With the MS Dhoni indicating his preferrence for control over pace, Dhawal Kulkarni, with his good domestic form, could find himself ahead of Umesh Yadav in the pecking order.
The visitors are likely to persist with their opening combination from the Tests, with the in-form Tom Latham partnering the limited-overs specialist Guptill. Despite Corey Anderson playing as a specialist batsman, the presence of all-rounders James Neesham and Mitchell Santner gives New Zealand a strong top eight. The returning Tim Southee adds a potent seam bowling option alongside the No.1 ODI bowler Trent Boult in conditions that could assist swing bowling. The team management is likely to toss up between Ish Sodhi, who did exceeding well in the World T20 in similar conditions, and Matt Henry for a place in the playing eleven.
Perhaps it was the setting - closest to that back in New Zealand - or the beautiful promise of not having to contend with Ravichandran Ashwin and his spin subtleties anymore on the tour, Kane Williamson and Co. seemed at ease with themselves ahead of the five-match One-Day International series. Right there in that moment, it would have been easy to overlook the fact that New Zealand were just coming out of a 3-0 drubbing in the Test series. Or that the two key senior members of the side, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, had averaged 27 and 15 respectively in an insipid show of technique and temperament against spin.
However, with the liberty of selective memory, New Zealand would appear to start on an even footing in an ODI series against India, despite their unsightly bilateral record against their hosts in these shores - 0-4. Their ODI stocks have been on a rise since Brendon McCullum impressed upon his teammates his own brand of devil-may-care attitude to the format so much so that Guptill, who broke into cold sweat at the sight of spin in the Tests, walks into this ODI series with four scores of 50 or more in his last six ODI innings.
Having achieved their best result in a World Cup last year where they lost to co-hosts Australia in the final, New Zealand have won four of their last six bilateral competitions, including a series win over Australia at the Chappell-Hadlee series in their most recent assignment. By their own admission, they are a 'very good ODI side.'
By contrast, their hosts have won only 10 of their last 19 ODIs - a statistic that lends more inference material after accounting for the fact that six of those wins have come against Zimbabwe. Despite the individual brilliance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, post-2015, India is yet to crack the middle-order code for ODI success that was once the crowning jewel in MS Dhoni's strategy CV. The absence of an assured fifth bowler, capable of doubling up as a finisher, has also reduced the Indian skipper's efficacy with the bat.
And so, amidst a season that merited an unwavering focus on Test cricket, India's ODI team has thrown open the doors to new talent in the the hope of revitalising its fortunes ahead of bigger Tests just around the corner. It is not to say that they're playing a second-string side like some of the teams they sent out to Zimbabwe. In Axar Patel and Amit Mishra, they still have bowlers capable of reminding New Zealand that their spin trial is far from over. India begin the first of their eight ODIs before the Champions Trophy with a silent prayer and a hope that somewhere along the way, this invesment leads to the discovery of the missing pieces to their ODI jigsaw.
India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, October 16, 13.30 IST; 08:00 GMT
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
A pleasant October's day with a high of 22 degree Celsius, dipping into the low sub-twenties in the late evening. On the eve of the match, the grass cover on the pitch looked like a shave gone bad. Expect the unevenness to be scrubbed off.
Ajinkya Rahane, in all likelihood, will be pushed up to the top of the order in Shikhar Dhawan's absence. This series could be the making of Rahane, the ODI cricketer. With Dhoni expressing reservations about Rahane's utility in the middle order, the series provides the mild-mannered batsman an opportunity to cash in from a position he is likely to be more at home. With Suresh Raina missing the series opener with a viral fever, India will look to bolster their middle order. Kedar Jadhav, who enjoyed a lengthy stint in the nets could play as a pure batsman. There's also the theory of playing three all-rounders in their top eight, thus handing both Hardik Pandya and Jayant Yadav their ODI debuts. With the MS Dhoni indicating his preferrence for control over pace, Dhawal Kulkarni, with his good domestic form, could find himself ahead of Umesh Yadav in the pecking order.
The visitors are likely to persist with their opening combination from the Tests, with the in-form Tom Latham partnering the limited-overs specialist Guptill. Despite Corey Anderson playing as a specialist batsman, the presence of all-rounders James Neesham and Mitchell Santner gives New Zealand a strong top eight. The returning Tim Southee adds a potent seam bowling option alongside the No.1 ODI bowler Trent Boult in conditions that could assist swing bowling. The team management is likely to toss up between Ish Sodhi, who did exceeding well in the World T20 in similar conditions, and Matt Henry for a place in the playing eleven.
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