New Zealand vs India 2020: Tim Southee terms Indian openers 'inexperienced but classy' ahead of 1st Test

Ahead of the first Test match against India, New Zealand pacer Tim Southee said he does not want to read too much into the inexperience of the visitors' opening batsmen as he believes the two have enough talent and are very classy players.

The focus will be on Prithvi Shaw (2 Tests) and Mayank Agarwal (9 Tests) to give India a good start against the likes of Southee, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry in the series which begins on Friday in Wellington.

“They are missing a couple of guys due to the injury but there are plenty guys who are talented and capable of stepping up when required. They had a good outing in Hamilton. Although, they may be inexperienced but at the same time, they are class players,” Southee told PTI during a brief interaction on Wednesday.

Wind will be a huge factor in Wellington and a lot will depend on how the batsmen adjust to the conditions on offer and Southee believes that the visitors will need to adapt to the conditions quickly.

“Obviously, these are home conditions and it favors us. But there are a number of things that you need to do well in here at the Basin Reserve and India will have to get used to it in the next three days,” he said.

India have been a dominant force in Test cricket for a considerable time now and the pacer is convinced that the challenge will be a stiff one for the hosts. Also, he said that he is not reading too much into the results of the limited-overs leg and that Test cricket will be evenly-contested.