Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 6 (ANI): New Zealand ODI skipper Michael Bracewell emphasised the importance of their upcoming series against India, highlighting that playing in local conditions and getting used to the wickets is crucial for their T20 World Cup preparations.
The team will play a three-match ODI series in India starting from January 11, followed by a five-match T20 series, which will help the Kiwis gain valuable experience adapting to Indian conditions.
India and Sri Lanka will jointly host the tournament, which will run from February 7 to March 8.
“We’ve obviously got a huge one-day series and then a T20 series against India. So being over here playing in local conditions and getting used to the wickets over here is vitally important for us,” New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell told the reporters.
New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls also emphasised the series against India as crucial preparation for the T20 World Cup.
“Obviously, for the T20 World Cup, having a series before it is great preparation. I think when such big events come around, it’s always what everyone targets and tries to win, and New Zealand is no different,” Henry Nicholls said.
Nicholls noted India’s series as ‘big’ and believes playing in India conditions is always challenging.
“It’s a big series for us. But I think as a group when you play in India, that’s a challenge that is right up there in terms of toughness, and it’s something that as a group, we’ll be looking at,” he added.
The first India vs New Zealand ODI will be played in Vadodara on January 11, and the second match will be played in Rajkot. The teams will face off for the final ODI of the series at Indore.
The T20I series will kick off on January 21 in Nagpur. (ANI)
