New Zealand have landed in India after a wonderful ODI series win vs Pakistan in Pakistan,  which was always going to be a difficult task. That win will keep the Black Caps in good stead as they begin the tour of India. But the Indian challenge is going to be harder as there is no Kane Williamson and no Tim Southee in the New Zealand squad for the ODIs. Their absence from the playing XI is surely going to have an impact on the team. Williamson and Southee are two very experienced players, who have played in India a lot. Williamson has a legendary status as a batter today and Southee is the leader of this bowling pack and could have been of massive help in the Indian conditions for the bowlers.

But the need of the hour for both these cricketers was to get some rest as one must admit that the calendar is packed this year which also has a World Cup coming up later. The players do need to manage their work load.

Coming to the New Zealand squad, it will be fascinating to see how the bowlers go about their job, given that there is no Southee and even Kyle Jamieson is out because of an injury. There is a new kid in Henry Shipley, who has played only game, in Karachi vs Pakistan. He will be exciting to watch. These tours of India and Pakistan will sure bring great exposure to him.

Blair Tickner was in Pakistan but never got a game. It will be interesting to see whether he gets a go or not in the series. He is a good bowler and should be played.

New Zealand are going to be led by Tom Latham, who is growing into the leadership role rather quickly and this series will be a huge challenge and learning curve for him as captain. Facing India in their home conditions is always testing and Latham will surely go back with big lessons.

The visitors’ top order, for me, is still a work in progress. I think Devon Conway and Finn Allen partnership is exciting but there is no doubt that they will be under a lot of pressure in this series.

Much will be relying on Glenn Philips after his heroics in the last game vs Pakistan. He is a huge asset to the team for what he does in the middle order. Daryl Mitchell needs to start using his feet against the spin because that has been his big worry in the recent past. He knows that and he has loads to work on.

There is no doubt that New Zealand start as underdogs. India in their own backyard are difficult to beat. I am very happy to see Shubman Gill mature as a batter. I saw him at the U19 World Cup in New Zealand back in 2018 and he has only grown from there into a beautiful batter today five years later. His batting, his timing, his stroke play and class is an absolute treat for the eyes. He is being tried as the next opener for India in this format and honestly, he has not put a foot wrong so far. It will be interesting to see how Rohit-Gill opening pair shapes up leading into the World Cup.

Virat Kohli still looks keen and hungry for runs. Still want to finish games for his side. Still want to score big tons. With KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav, this is a very strong batting lineup.

From India’s perspective, I am eager to look at how Rohit and Shubman form a relationship at the top as far opening the innings for India goes. I think that will be key for India in this World Cup year. Also, in the bowling, I am drawn towards the likes of Mohammed Shami, Siraj and Umran Malik. They bowled extremely well against Sri Lankans and it will be interesting to see how they do vs the Kiwis, who can pose a better challenge to them.

Kuldeep Yadav will be a big threat for the Black Caps. He is on song at the moment and whatever chance he gets, he looks to pack a punch. Watching him in action would be exciting in this series.

Coming back to New Zealand, I think the most important thing for them, with Williamson and Southee missing, is striking a nice balance in the playing XI. They have some key players missing in both batting and bowling departments and they will have to come up with the best, balanced playing XI to challenge India in their home conditions. For the same reason, we may see a lot of chopping and changing from New Zealand than India on this tour as they look to give everyone a go in this World Cup year. I am very sure this is going to be a thrilling series.