New Zealand vs India: 4 reasons why India may not win the ODI series
The Indian Cricket Team is basking in the glory of their historic tour Down Under which saw them coming them unbeaten across all formats which is a first for any side touring Australia.
But now the focus shifts to Australia's neighbours New Zealand. The black caps are a tough team to beat anywhere nowadays more so at their own backyard. They are fresh off after comprehensively beating the hapless Lankan side in each, and every game in the recent home series.
The Kiwi's form in the recent past makes them deadly dangerous particularly in the coloured clothing and India will need to be wary of that. The men in blue may have beaten the Australian side but at their current strength, they are not as strong as this New Zealand side.
India’s ODI Squad to New Zealand
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli (C), Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami
With that being said, here are 5 reasons why India may not win the ODI series against New Zealand.
#4 The Sixth bowling option may come to haunt India in middle overs
While India may have come unscratched from the Australia tour where the use of the sixth bowling option didn't require much or they didn't go for plenty.
But in New Zealand where the boundaries are small and big hitters in the opposition, it might be difficult for the part-timer to restrict the flow of runs against the likes of Ross Taylor or Kane Williamson who will look to score fours, and sixes more often than not.
There is also no guarantee that all the 5 frontline bowlers will finish their quota of 10 overs as the tracks in New Zealand are relatively flat compared to other countries, and on their bad day, one might go for big runs. In such scenario's a 6th bowling option is a must.