NEW ZEALAND TOUR OF INDIA, 2017

India v New Zealand: Talking points

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Rahane could still find himself being second-choice despite his superb form
Rahane could still find himself being second-choice despite his superb form © Getty

It would be an exaggeration to say that there are huge goodies up for grabs when India face off against New Zealand in the three-match ODI series closely followed by a similar T20I series. However, India will continue their quest of getting the 'process' right. New Zealand were beaten in 2016 with little mercy (although the scoreline would suggest otherwise: 2-3) and while there's little to support the idea that they can reverse their fortune this time around, they'd still go in finding and fielding their right combination.

The series still offers both teams an avenue to fix all their chinks. Here are the main points the teams will look to address.

India:

The Opening Conundrum:

Ever since, India opened with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in the Champions Trophy of 2013, the pair has remained first-choice in limited-overs cricket. While Ajinkya Rahane's consistency has never been doubted, he's never quite been able to carve that 'X' factor or indispensability about himself. He recently scored four fifties on the trot to further prove himself but the fire that India usually seek and get from Dhawan at the top is something Rahane fails to deliver, especially in a situation where Rohit generally likes to take his time before ticking.

While Rahane's strike-rate has been on the rise, he's still a work-on and an option India explore when either of their first choices are unavailable.

The grand No. 4 lottery:

From trying MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh, to talking up KL Rahul for that spot, India have used as many guinea pigs as possible for this position. They have tried their luck with Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya too for the role. The critical link that the spot serves between the top and lower middle-order though still remains more an ambition than a finished product. With Jadhav's firebrand established during the England ODIs earlier this year, India seem more happy to fine-tune the finisher in him at Nos. 5, 6 or 7.

With Hardik pulling off a Man-of-the-Match performance at first go with an unbeaten 78 against Australia, he has made his point too as a floater India can contemplate in the future. However, Pandey has got the longest run of the lot and might continue to enjoy the same. His unflattering numbers though need a lift, especially with an in-form Dinesh Karthik recalled for this series. The 'keeper-batsman has previously batted at the spot, scoring two fifties and he might be back hungrier than ever. And thus, the musical chair could just continue.

If it ain't broke, why fix the bowling?:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have kept the more experienced Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami out, and not just on the grounds of 'rotation policy'. A few-yards quicker Bhuvneshwar and a constantly evolving Bumrah have made the right noises in the opportunities they've had. But talking of right noises, India's new found love in wristspinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, have been making a lot of it. Ask for wickets, they have given that; ask for containment, they have done that too and ask for consistency, they haven't done much wrong there either. Perhaps that is just an indication of how tough things are going to be for aces, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in white-ball cricket. India though won't mind this terse competition. Shardul Thakur has been called up again and his only chance could come if India lead the series 2-0 going into the final game. Shardul finds himself in the team as much for the rotation policy as for his sharp form in the recently concluded 'A' series against New Zealand. He even scored a match-winning 38 in the final game to push his envelope further.

New Zealand:

Colin Munro will hope to seal his spot at the top of the order
Colin Munro will hope to seal his spot at the top of the order ©

More fire at the top:

Colin Munro, in an exclusive chat with Cricbuzz, revealed how he mulled opting out of international cricket till being awarded the New Zealand central contract a couple of months back. A white-ball specialist who's had tremendous success in his country's domestic arena, Munro is desperate to cement his spot at the top of the order, all the more since coach Mike Hesson mentioned that Tom Latham would move down to play a part in the middle order.

While Munro's style will suit the position when he takes on a brand new ball with the field up, he's failed to go beyond starts building up through the 'A' series and practice games. With stiff competition from Glenn Phillips, who can also double as a wicketkeeper, and George Worker, who scored a ton in the 'A' series, Munro will look to fire from the start in the series to come.

Who's their all-rounder?

Colin de Grandhomme is slated to bat at either 6 or 7 while offering his right-arm seam-ups too. Bred in conditions where he relishes the ball coming onto the bat quickly, he looked quite out of sorts in his limited opportunities with the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year. He bucks up or somebody like a George Worker who is otherwise an aggressive top-order bat and can offer a tidy 10-over spell, can threaten to take that spot. Much of that would depend on the make of the eleven and the surfaces on offer, given Mitchell Santner - the first-choice spinner - will bowl left-arm spin too. De Grandhomme's utility with the ball could be reduced too if Munro chips in with a few usefull seam-ups. With growing inward competition, de Grandhomme will have a task at hand.

Ish Sodhi in but not even second choice

Barring a five-fer in one of the four-day games against India A in Vijaywada, Ish Sodhi has been inconsistent, something the New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen had pointed out while originally leaving him out for the ODIs in favour of Todd Astle. A last minute groin injury to the 31-year-old meant that Sodhi who had been selected for the following T20Is hopped onto the ODI bus. But life's not going to be easy. Sodhi is no stranger to the Indian batsmen and his tricks would need to be sharper in order to outdo the opponents. So for Sodhi to tie down the Indian batsmen, he'd need to ensure 'bowling more into the pitch at greater speeds', something he mentioned to Cricbuzz. His batting from where he started - at No. 8 - too has slipped. Life's not going to be easy, after all.

Pace bowling wise though, New Zealand seem settled with Trent Boult having already picked a five-fer in the first practice game. Tim Southee and Adam Milne form the rest of the battery while Matt Henry joins them over from the 'A' tour.

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