New Zealand challenge awaits India as World Cup preparations heat up

India’s preparations for the ODI World Cup 2027 are now entering a crucial phase as they gear up for a five-match ODI series in New Zealand, starting Wednesday here at Eden Park.

India’s first match in the 2027 World Cup is only a little more than 11 months away, and their ODI series in New Zealand could offer conditions similar to those they can expect in early summer in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia for the global showpiece.

This series is crucial for both teams’ preparations, but both are missing some key personnel. India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, while the Kiwis will be without Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman, and Devon Conway will miss the first ODI with concussion.

Speaking after the recent West Indies ODI series, India’s ODI and Test captain, Shubman Gill, stated that there was not “much time to experiment” and that he wanted the World Cup combination settled. India are still identifying their bowlers for the global showpiece, as only Jasprit Bumrah looks to be in top form. With Hardik also unavailable, India are left to keep experimenting in the middle order.

Speaking ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand, Gill admitted that the team is open to experimenting at No. 5 and No. 6, although the “top four is set”. He highlighted that Axar Patel could be used as a floater, or that KL Rahul could even be moved to No. 5.

He also wanted the ODIs to have been played before the recently concluded T20Is so that India could have fielded their best-choice team for all five matches. The visitors have pulled out some of their first-choice Test players for the fourth and fifth ODIs to let them prepare for the Test matches.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will also be without Rachin and Chapman, both of whom have been ruled out of the series with injuries, while Conway has a concussion after colliding with Matt Henry during training. Both teams have also named separate squads for the first three ODIs and the remaining two matches to give the Test players time to prepare for the Test series.

The ODI series will also be crucial for Rohit Sharma, who has not scored an ODI hundred in New Zealand before. As he has done in the past, he would like to have a few more strong innings under his belt.

The match will be played on a different pitch from the one that hosted the fourth T20I between these two teams recently, in which New Zealand scored 259 in their 20 overs. That could make for a much more competitive contest between bat and ball.

Meanwhile, former India left-arm spinner Maninder Singh on Tuesday termed Kuldeep Yadav’s lack of regular game time a ‘mystery,’ saying he felt the team management did not have enough confidence in the abilities of the left-arm wrist-spinner.

Kuldeep has 201 wickets in 124 ODIs, more than any other bowler in India’s present squad, yet he did not get a single game in the recent 3-2 T20I series win over New Zealand. Away from the sub-continent, Kuldeep’s non-selection often comes down to team balance.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir prefers batting depth that runs down to number eight, and with Hardik Pandya out, India has usually opted for three specialist quicks.

As a result, Kuldeep has featured in only three of India’s 35 matches in SENA countries over the past two years. Kuldeep, however, can come into the reckoning for the five ODIs, which begin at the Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday.

“See, this has become a little mystery for me as well - that why Kuldeep Yadav is not being played regularly. He’s a wrist spinner, who is very effective in one-day cricket, and T20 cricket. But according to me, Kuldeep Yadav will be very effective in Test cricket as well, if he is given that confidence.

“Because you must remember, a year and a half ago, there was a Test series in England ending 2-2, and we were very happy about it. I wasn’t happy about it, because I know that if we played Kuldeep Yadav regularly in those five Test matches, India would have won that series by 3-1. This was and is my confidence in Kuldeep Yadav.

“But somewhere down the line, I feel that the team management doesn’t have enough confidence in him, because of which he is not getting chances again and again, in all kinds of formats.

“It’s because I think he is good in all kinds of formats. He has those variations, which are needed in all kinds of formats. Wrist spinners, especially left-arm wrist spinners, this breed is very rare in world cricket,” Maninder told IANS during a virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Tuesday.

Agencies