India vs NZ, T20 and ODI series in 2009 : build-up

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Spin-heavy Kiwis ready for India Daniel Vettori has revealed that New Zealand will use two spinners in Wednesday’s Twenty20 international against India in Christchurch. More... Spin-heavy Kiwis ready for India 24 February 2009 New Zealand will use two spinners in tomorrow’s opening Twenty20 international against India in Christchurch. Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori confirmed off-spinner Nathan McCullum would accompany him in the XI at AMI Stadium in Christchurch for the opening international match of India’s tour. “Nathan McCullum has been extremely impressive with what he has done so far in domestic cricket,” Vettori said. “He had a short go at it against Australia. His batting brings a lot to the table and he is one of the better fielders in New Zealand so he will get another opportunity tomorrow night. “It will be a massive test for him against an Indian side who will be pretty aggressive against him.” McCullum is the elder brother of Black Caps wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon. Vettori was also pleased to see the return of Jacob Oram, although the all-rounder will be playing as a batsman only in the two Twenty20 matches. “In my opinion, Jacob is the most important player in the team because of his all-round ability,” he said. “Whilst he is not bringing the bowling aspect at this stage getting him back in the team it just feels better with him around. He’s a world-class player and his record speaks for itself.” After success in Australia, and fine performances from newcomers Martin Guptill, Neil Broom and Grant Elliott, Vettori believes there is a confident feel around the squad, despite the stiff challenge that lies ahead. “It’s the confidence of the young guys that drives the group and there are a lot of guys there who have still played under 10 games,” he said. “But a lot of those games they have won so when we have that feel in the team, coupled with some experienced players, it makes for a side that is confident about its performances. “We are hoping to continue with that. The likes of Martin Guptill and Neil Broom have been fantastic in the short time they have been here and we are just hoping that they can capitalise on what they have done so far in a short period of time.” Vettori feels if his side are to stand any chance of winning, early wickets will be vital. “Our ability to stem India at the top of the order with (Virender) Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir is going to be crucial to our success. “Sehwag creates a lot of momentum for them at the top of the order. He is such an aggressive player that he can take a game away from a side quite quickly. “We know a lot of our emphasis is on him and Gambhir with their opening partnership. If we can put some pressure on India early then maybe it gives us a chance. If those guys get away it’s always hard to pull them back in.” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes his side are not relying on individuals to bring about success, which has allowed them to flourish in all three forms of the game in recent times. “We don’t rely on a particular batsman or a particular bowler. The whole team is performing. In most of the games everyone has contributed. “If there is a batsman who has gone for a big score we have batsmen who have scored around them. “The same if one bowler takes two or three wickets, the rest all contribute, especially the part-timers – they have done their job well.” Both sides had their final practice on Tuesday, although the fickle Christchurch weather made for a gloomy backdrop for the Indians. The visitors were also expected to have a fielding practice under lights at the stadium as well to help them acclimatise. Meanwhile, Andy Moles will have a new assistant coach when the one-day series begins in Napier on March 3. Auckland coach Mark O’Donnell will join up with Moles and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen for the remainder of the series. It means Auckland will need to find someone else to see out the remainder of their season. O’Donnell’s contract with the province finishes at the end of this campaign.

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Preview : Weather, not opponent, keeps India worried Team India will worry more about the fickle Kiwi weather than the composition and strength of Daniel Vettori's team when they meet New Zealand in the first T20 international in Christchurch on Wednesday. More... Weather, not opponent, keeps India worried Press Trust Of India Christchurch, February 24, 2009 First Published: 14:21 IST(24/2/2009) Last Updated: 14:31 IST(24/2/2009) World champions India will worry more about the fickle Kiwi weather than the composition and strength of Daniel Vettori's team when they meet New Zealand in the first Twenty20 cricket international at the AMI Park in Christchurch on Wednesday. The advent of autumn has seen the temperatures drop and there have been sporadic spells of rain, which have offset India's preparation for the match. More than the Black Caps' resilience and home advantage, it will be this cold-windy factor which could ruffle Mahendra Singh Dhoni's all-conquering legion. Given their streak of success in this format and the plethora of talent they have in their ranks, India start as hot favorites in the two-match Twenty20 series. While New Zealand have two potential match-winners in Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram, who was specifically included in the squad to provide thrust to the not-so-powerful batting, India have an array of explosive batsmen who can turn the match on its head. India have two explosive openers in Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who will be backed by the king of Twenty20, Yuvraj Singh, who continues to flog the bowlers across the parks as if he were batting in the backyard of his Chandigarh home. Then there is Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan, who is imminently capable of clearing the grounds in New Zealand. Be it seam or spin, they have the knack and chutzpah to scatter the field and produce boundaries. Besides, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are batsmen who are capable of winning matches on their own on their day. If the Kiwis feel that the bounce in the wicket could give them the edge in the bowling aspect, they would have to deal with Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, who are regarded as the best fast bowling pair in the world cricket. The pair had devastated Australia at home, a trauma from which Ricky Ponting is struggling to recover. India's Twenty20 record is encouraging, in that they have lost only two of their 11 matches played so far, losing to New Zealand in the World Cup at Johannesburg and Australia at Melbourne. But whatever be their might, India would be foolhardy to underestimate the inexperienced New Zealand outfit, which had given a good account of itself in the just-concluded series against Australia, wherein they drew the ODI series 2-2 and lost the Twenty international by one run. Coach Andy Molls has pinned his hopes on Daniel Vettori, arguably the best left-arm spinner in world cricket, McCullum, Oram, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliot and Neil Broom. But if the weather does not play spoilsport, India certainly have the spice and curry to bury the Kiwi challenge. India coach Gary Kirsten has already made it clear that his wards would not be unduly worried about either the track or the weather here, for they are well prepared to adapt to any situations. "We are aware of what to expect and are planning for that. Every wicket around the world might well be different. You are not going to find two wickets that are exactly the same. "So we are not really focusing on the wickets. But we are doing the work we need to do. We are looking to adapt to the situations that we are confronted with. The team is well-balanced and our seamers have done particularly well in the last year," Kirsten said. "Everyone's talking a lot about the wickets, but the wickets I saw in the games against West Indies seemed to play really well. It is not something that will concern us too much," he added. Teams (From): India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni ©, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik. New Zealand: Daniel Vettori ©, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Iain O'Brien, JacobOram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Ewen Thompson.

[Pak_Forever]

NZ got a pretty horrible record in T20, so its pretty obvious who's going to win. It's really dumb from NZ, instead of scheduling Test series first, they have set up shorter format of the games first in which India is miles ahead of them. Had Test been first, NZ would have 'easily' won it and could have gone with a psychological advantage in ODIs and T20....or unless BCCI and payrolls played a role *conspiracy theory*:winky:

[King]

It's been a bit dodgy the weather this morning. There were bouts of drizzles although it did not pour heavily. The wind should ease out and it's the North East gust so it won't be too cold. The wind is only expected to be about 24 km/hr so India won't really feel the wind tonight. It will be overcast so expect the ball to do a bit. Also the ball is going to be new for the full 20 overs so it would help India going with 3 or 4 seamers. There are chances of light rain during the game.

[Sachinism]

I can't wait anymore just under 4 hours to and can't sleep Come on India

[graphic23]

I'm excited! I can't wait! Can't wait for the ODIs either. To watch :sachin: ! :--D

[Shane]

http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&loccode=OCN|NZ|NZ000|CHRISTCHURCH|