Ahead of the opening Test vs India from the 22nd of September in Kanpur, the New Zealand cricket team will play a three-day warm-up match against defending Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai at the Ferozshah Kotla in New Delhi from the 16th to the 18th of September.
Speaking about the tie, Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit said that the team was happy to get this match and added that it would help the side build confidence ahead of the domestic season, that commences next month.
“After such a wonderful last season, it is the best opportunity, and a big challenge for the boys to play against an international side. Hopefully, this game will help them get a bit of confidence to enter the rest of the season. We're happy to get this match,” he said.
The Blackcaps named a strong 15-man squad for their tour to India on Tuesday, with as many as 3 spinners- Ish Sodhi, Mark Craig and Mitchell Santner- in the squad. The fast bowling responsibilities will be shared by Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner and Jimmy Neesham who has made a comeback to the team.
After Kanpur, the Blackcaps will go travel to Kolkata for the second Test and then finish the five-day leg of their tour at Indore, which will host a Test match for the first time.
Post the Test series, they will square off in a five-match ODI series against the Men in Blue, starting in Dharamshala from the 16th of October.
It will now be interesting to see if in the coming days, the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma also look to play this match for their domestic side ahead of the opening test.
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