India vs New Zealand: Visitors' batting and pace bowling units strong enough to keep team competitive in tough series

New Zealand have never won an ODI series in India. In fact, they have only won seven games in India against the home team in 32 matches. Chances are that their record won’t change when they play three ODIs in India over the next few weeks. Still, this is a strong New Zealand side that will be competing in this series. With an average age of just 26, this is a very young New Zealand squad, despite the fact that the oldest squad members being 33. But they are not without experience. Their captain, Kane Williamson, has played for New Zealand more than 200 times and he has only just turned 27. He is in the top 10 of New Zealand ODI run getters and he will need to further progress up that chart if his team are to emerge from this series with a positive result. [caption id=“attachment_4008125” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of New Zealand cricket team. AFP[/caption] Williamson is the best of a very strong New Zealand batting lineup that includes Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, all of whom have serious pedigree in international cricket and experience of playing in Indian conditions. The fact that all the best players in the world now turn up for the Indian Premier League means that the pitches in India are not the mystery that they once were for visiting teams, but that doesn’t mean India are still not the favourites to win at home. Making scores of more than 300 are not what teams should be hopeful for in India, it is the minimum requirement. These experienced batsmen are key to that. The issue is that just like the team as a whole, Guptill, Taylor, and even Williamson do not have a track record of success in India. As you would expect it is Williamson that has the best ODI record away from home against India amongst these three, but his average of just 35 with a solitary score of over 50, it is a long way short of his career record as a whole. Of the newer members of the side the most exciting is Glenn Phillips. The 20-year-old batsman is a serious attacking talent and has already had some success over the last year. He made his T20 international debut in February and should be making his ODI bow on this tour. He impressed with his power at the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League where he played for the Jamaica Tallawahs without putting together a string of good scores, and a good performance in this series could well lead to a lucrative IPL deal. There is no reason why these players can’t score runs in India, but they haven’t succeeded with any sort of regularity before now. In India, the home team have developed a way of eking the most out of their all-rounders and now have a formidable set of front line bowlers who can take wickets while keepng things tight. In India, limited overs cricket is a batsman’s game more than anywhere in the world, bowlers that take wickets are key. The all-round talents of Colin de Grandhomme and a batting order that includes some power and class means that they should be able to put competitive scores on the board, the issue could well be the ability of the bowling attack to restrict the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Spin bowling is so important in India and that is the area that this squad is at its weakest. There is no out-and-out-front-line spinner in the squad. Instead there is the spin-bowling all-rounders Mitchell Santner and George Worker along with the batsmen who can bowl spin in Williamson and Todd Astle. There is huge pressure on Santner to do well on this tour, and success or failure for his team could depend on how well he goes. The other options are untested so if Santner struggles there isn’t a lot of other places for the New Zealanders to go to. While spin bowling is a worry seam bowling is where the New Zealanders are strong. In Matt Henry and Adam Milne they have serious pace. On flat pitches having that extra yard can make such a difference in taking wickets. Combined with Tim Southee and Trent Boult who have been so successful for so long for the Kiwis, and with de Grandhomme also able to bowl useful overs, this will be the best chance that the visitors to hold India to a score that they can chase or defend. While it is unlikely that New Zealand will win their first bilateral ODI series on this trip, they should also be in the mix across the three matches. The batting is strong, the seam bowling is good, and while the spin bowling is a weak suit there is enough other aspects of the squad that can make up for it.