ODI World Cup: India will need more than their reputation to get the better of New Zealand on their home turf, former head coach Ravi Shastri said on Wednesday, urging the visitors to soak up the pressure and turn it back on the hosts right from the opening T20I on Thursday.
The five T20Is will run till November 1, before the five-match ODI series takes centrestage in terms of 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup preparation. It is followed by a two-match Test series, to be played in Wellington and Christchurch from November 19 to December 1.
Apart from this, India A are also touring New Zealand for three red-ball games, starting on October 24 in Lincoln. “New Zealand will come hard at India. They know their conditions, they do their homework and they make you earn every win. India have the firepower, but reputation won’t win them this series.
“They have to get out there, take the pressure and put it straight back on New Zealand. That is what I’ll be watching for from the first T20I on October 22,” Shastri said in a statement issued by broadcasters Sony Sports Network on Wednesday.
Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane looked ahead to the Test leg of the tour, saying wins in both matches would be key to India’s hopes of reaching the 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) final, to be played from June 9-13 at The Oval. He also welcomed the return of veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the squad.
“India’s tour of New Zealand is a crucial one, with so many aspects to look forward to. NZ conditions provide a very different challenge in Test cricket and the Indian batters will be tested. Winning the two Tests will be crucial to staying in contention for a spot in the 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
“I’m really happy to see Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in the squad; his experience will come in handy in the T20Is. Overall, it’s going to be a tough tour with back to back games which will test the bench strength too. I would advise the team not to think too far ahead, but to focus on each match and stick to their plans,” he said.
Off-spin great Ravichandran Ashwin described a trip to New Zealand as one of the sternest tests in the game. “A tour of New Zealand is one of the most demanding assignments in world cricket because it constantly tests a team’s ability to adapt.
“Every format presents a different challenge, whether it’s reading conditions in T20s, building momentum in ODIs or showing patience and discipline in Test cricket. India has the quality to compete across formats, and I’m looking forward to analysing what promises to be a fascinating series,” he said.
Ashwin will be part of the English, Hindi and Tamil coverage during the T20Is, while Rahane joins the Hindi line-up for all three formats and Shastri will be a part of the English line-up for the white-ball games.
Former New Zealand players Stephen Fleming (T20Is only), Tim Southee, Simon Doull, Shane Bond, and Ian Smith will add their knowledge of the home conditions and the opposition during various phases of the multi-format series.
The broadcaster’s commentary panels for the tour:-
English
T20I: Gaurav Kapur, Ravi Shastri, Ravichandran Ashwin, Stephen Fleming, Tim Southee, Simon Doull, Shane Bond, Ian Smith.
ODI: Samir Kochhar, Ravi Shastri, Stephen Fleming, Tim Southee, Simon Doull, Shane Bond, Ian Smith.
Test: Harsha Bhogle, Sunil Gavaskar, Stephen Fleming, Tim Southee, Simon Doull, Shane Bond, Ian Smith.
Hindi
T20I: Samir Kochhar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, Ajay Jadeja, Vivek Razdan, Atish Thukral, Murali Karthik.
ODI: Gaurav Kapur, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Gavaskar, Ajay Jadeja, Vivek Razdan, Maninder Singh, Anjum Chopra, Atish Thukral.
Test: Samir Kochhar/Gaurav Kapur, Ajinkya Rahane, Ajay Jadeja, Maninder Singh, Vivek Razdan, Murali Karthik, Atish Thukral.
Tamil
T20I: Ravichandran Ashwin, WV Raman, R Sridhar, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Bharat Arun, Sastika Rajendran, S Badrinath.
ODI: WV Raman, R Sridhar, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Bhagavathy Prasad, Malolan Rangarajan.
Test: WV Raman, R Sridhar, Bhagavathy Prasad, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, S Badrinath, Sudhir Srinavasan.
Telugu
T20I: Venkatapathy Raju, Gnaneswara Rao, Sandeep Kumar, Rakesh Deva, Hari Kishore M.
ODI: Venkatapathy Raju, Ravi Teja, Sandeep Kumar, Gnaneswara Rao, Rakesh Deva.
Test: KS Bharat, Venkatapathy Raju, Gnaneswara Rao, Sandeep Kumar, Rakesh Deva.
Kannada
T20I: Venkatesh Prasad, HS Sharath, Sumanth Bhat, Raghavendra Raj.
ODI: Venkatesh Prasad, Sujith Somasunder, HS Sharath, Sumanth Bhat, Raghavendra Raj.
T20I: Venkatesh Prasad, HS Sharath, Sumanth Bhat, Raghavendra Raj.
Article Source: IANS
