***Official*** India in New Zealand 2013/14

[BeeGee]

I saw comments about this series in the India v SA thread so I thought I'd start a tour thread.

Fixtures:

1st ODI - New Zealand v India
Sun Jan 19 (50 ovs)
01:00 GMT | 14:00 local
20:00 EST -1d | 19:00 CST -1d | 17:00 PST -1d
McLean Park, Napier


2nd ODI - New Zealand v India
Wed Jan 22 (50 ovs)
01:00 GMT | 14:00 local
20:00 EST -1d | 19:00 CST -1d | 17:00 PST -1d
Seddon Park, Hamilton


3rd ODI - New Zealand v India
Sat Jan 25 (50 ovs)
01:00 GMT | 14:00 local
20:00 EST -1d | 19:00 CST -1d | 17:00 PST -1d
Eden Park, Auckland


4th ODI - New Zealand v India
Tue Jan 28 (50 ovs)
01:00 GMT | 14:00 local
20:00 EST -1d | 19:00 CST -1d | 17:00 PST -1d
Seddon Park, Hamilton


5th ODI - New Zealand v India
Fri Jan 31 (50 ovs)
01:00 GMT | 14:00 local
20:00 EST -1d | 19:00 CST -1d | 17:00 PST -1d
Westpac Stadium, Wellington


TBC v Indians
Sun Feb 2 - Mon Feb 3
21:30 GMT
(prev day) | 10:30 local
16:30 EST -1d | 15:30 CST -1d | 13:30 PST -1d
Cobham Oval (New), Whangarei


1st Test - New Zealand v India
Thu Feb 6 - Mon Feb 10
22:00 GMT
(prev day) | 11:00 local
17:00 EST -1d | 16:00 CST -1d | 14:00 PST -1d
Eden Park, Auckland


2nd Test - New Zealand v India
Fri Feb 14 - Tue Feb 18
22:00 GMT
(prev day) | 11:00 local
17:00 EST -1d | 16:00 CST -1d | 14:00 PST -1d
Basin Reserve, Wellington

 

[BeeGee]

Wow, Ishant Sharma in the squad for the NZ series. He is breaking Sachin's record of 200 tests.

Very happy for Stuart Binny and Varun Aaron. Not sure about Ishwar Pandey, doesn't look ready for the highest level.

The squads for the NZ tour:

TESTS
MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishwar Pandey
In: Ishwar Pandey
Out: Pragyan Ojha

ODIs
MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron
In: Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron
Out: Yuvraj Singh, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Re-posted from the India v SA thread.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Well we're gonna see what both sides are about now!!..NZ had a good series against our lot but of course we did have key players missing..especially when it came to our attack which was nothing short of shambolic. The key here i think will be how Boult and Southee go against these indian batsmen..Kohli, Pujara and Rahane done well in Sa and will be confident of making hay in NZ...Meanwhile India's poor attack will have a chance to finally step up against lesser opposition away from home having failed in England, Australia and SA in the last few years..Will Ashwin finally do well away from his indian roads? will Kumar and Shami really get their test careers off the ground in this series?

It's gonna be interesting to watch..

 

[Jassy]

Zaheer and Shami will do well especially if the pitches are going to be seamer friendly. Can see both tests ending in draws if the pitches are what they were like against England.

 

[Flem274*]

Traditionally India have struggled to win here even against some pretty dire sides, and it took their greatest team ever playing on roads against one of our worst bowling attacks ever (NZ in their infinite wisdom even served up two spinners) to achieve a 1-0 series win.

Oddly though I think they have a very very good chance in this series.

 

[Jassy]

After the 3-1 win in 1970 or whenever the first time was that India toured New Zealand, they've pretty much always struggled there. It's funny because overall India's record in New Zealand reads won 5 lost 7; which means all the series they lost they lost quite badly. However, 1-0 last time was definitely misleading. India won the first match by 10 wickets I think, in the second match it took one hell of an innings from Gambhir and India to come from behind and draw the test at Napier (was it?) and then in the last match Dhoni and rain ensured that India didn't win 2 zip.

 

[BeeGee]

Zaheer and Shami will do well especially if the pitches are going to be seamer friendly. Can see both tests ending in draws if the pitches are what they were like against England.

It'll be interesting to see what the pitches will be like. Hesson has made it clear he wants seamer friendly decks. But considering NZ groundsmen have been producing predominately batsmen friendly decks for years now, they may just continue with what they know.

 

[Bahnz]

India to take this 1-0.

 

[hendrix]

It'll be interesting to see what the pitches will be like. Hesson has made it clear he wants seamer friendly decks. But considering NZ groundsmen have been producing predominately batsmen friendly decks for years now, they may just continue with what they know.

I honestly don't know what would be the most advantageous for NZ. Clearly we don't want any spinning decks, but I'm not sure that bringing India's seamers into the game is the best idea either. Flat, but with carry might be the best option. The tests are being played in more northern regions so even if the pitches are flat there should be swing for Southee and Boult, unlike Dunedin.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

I'm picking us for a narrow win at Eden Park but India to come back strong at the Basin and level the series. Both sides to have at least one dramatic collapse, with KW-Taylor and Pujara-Kohli to go big

 

[Bahnz]

I honestly don't know what would be the most advantageous for NZ. Clearly we don't want any spinning decks, but I'm not sure that bringing India's seamers into the game is the best idea either. Flat, but with carry might be the best option. The tests are being played in more northern regions so even if the pitches are flat there should be swing for Southee and Boult, unlike Dunedin.

Yeah, Ishant aside India have some good seamers at the moment. Pitches like the one we got at Eden Park for the 3rd test against England (with maybe a bit more bounce) will probably maximise our chances.

 

[Prince EWS]

Binny being selected for ODIs is so outrageously dumb.

 

[BeeGee]

Binny being selected for ODIs is so outrageously dumb.

Rubbish. I'm glad the selectors didn't leave him out (overnight).

 

[Flem274*]

Being cheeky with the pitches won't work this time around because unlike the previous generation their concrete feet and tendency to wave the white flag when there is seam and bounce doesn't exist, not with Kohli and Pujara anyway. If you go through the youtube footage of the 2002 series it's pretty evident both sides made the pitches look worse than they were. Wellington looked pretty flat in the second innings in Rob's Bond video, and batsmen were being beaten by swing rather than the pitch. Batsmen who held their nerve and techniques together like Dravid and Richardson succeeded.

But if New Zealand prepare green pitches they're opening themselves up to being exposed by the Indian pacers and probably not exposing Pujara and Kohli as much as they would like. A lottery won't help them. Turning pitches are obviously suicide, and a continuation of the "we're so sorry for making real cricket pitches" roads like we saw last time will just ensure a 0-0 draw or backfire since the NZ openers some other batsmen will happily have a lollapse on any pitch.

The best pitches for both sides (apart from suicidal turners) will be just good old fair cricket pitches with good bounce and carry with a little bit in it for the seamers. Both sides would then simply have to play the better cricket. This Indian side probably contains players very well suited to New Zealand conditions provided they don't assume NZ = South African conditions but against easier opposition, because our conditions are very different.

India have a good crop of swing bowlers, of which they must play two, but they have to get it full. I'm starting to think on the modern New Zealand pitch it's very difficult to bowl too full. England and the West Indies both bowled far too short (The Windies exceptionally too short) and were then surprised to see New Zealand swinging the ball around corners and for longer. The English media just cried about roads and kookaburras, but the fact is a good length in South Africa or even in England is too short in New Zealand. India need to give the ball a chance and get it right up there, and Zaheer has a good record in New Zealand so while the conditions have evolved since 2000 or so he is bright enough to realise it. I imagine that since you need to get it full in India they will be used to bowling a nice full length too. They also need to look after, or copy NZ and whinge about, their ball so it swings as long as possible.

Another thing they need to be wary of is not thinking "bowl first" if the pitch is a bit grassy. New Zealand pitches are roads and most of the time the sun comes out 10 minutes before play and the pitch looks completely different by the first drinks break. The kiwi green top doesn't exist anymore.

The batsmen need to be careful of coming to pitches where it's still bouncy enough but a bit slower too, and the bowlers will be bowling very very full.

For New Zealand, they need to be prepared for a team which won't bowl way too short but at least the length England did and probably fuller. Also the NZ bowlers need to remember to stay patient against a side with guys like Vijay, Pujara and Kohli who know how to leave the ball alone and won't surrender at the first sign of trouble like the West Indies did. This will be more like bowling to the English last year.

I hate to admit this since NZ should always be favourites against India on their own turf, but this Indian side (Ishant aside, who bowls too short for our pitches) has the best attack for our conditions I've seen and a few batsmen who I'd back to handle themselves well even on green pitches. Even though this NZ team is better than the prank 2009 side, India have the toys now to beat NZ at their own game despite their inexperience. 1-0 to India imo with their win coming at the Basin.

edit: I didn't realise I wrote that much...

 

[Jono]

2nd Test - New Zealand v India
Fri Feb 14 - Tue Feb 18
22:00 GMT
(prev day) | 11:00 local
17:00 EST -1d | 16:00 CST -1d | 14:00 PST -1d
Basin Reserve, Wellington

Anyone want to join me at this test?

 

[Jono]

Will Ashwin finally do well away from his indian roads?

Indian roads? First bowler ever to like bowling on roads then.

 

[Prince EWS]

Indian roads? First bowler ever to like bowling on roads then.

 

[Prince EWS]

Ashwin's unlikely to play anyway IMO.

 

[Hurricane]

the 2009 side looked fine on paper at the time flem 1st Test: New Zealand v India at Hamilton, Mar 18-21, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Hurricane]

Anyone want to join me at this test?

Maybe we could make a cw day at the cricket? Will see what the others say.