New Zealand vs India: 3 Reasons why New Zealand start as slight favorites against India

After registering their first ever bilateral ODI series win in Australia, India plays New Zealand in a five-match ODI series and then a three-match T20I series. Winning against the Blackcaps will be a hard task for Team India as the Kiwis are a strong white-ball outfit.

New Zealand has been pretty clinical at home in recent times. Most pitches in New Zealand have been pretty flat and so we might witness some really high scoring games in the upcoming weeks.

It will be a good test for India considering that the World Cup will be played in pretty similar conditions. Looking at the way these two teams stack up right now, this is going to be a cracker of a series.

New Zealand start as slight favorites in this series against India. So let’s have a look at the three reasons as to why New Zealand start as favorites.

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#3 India still finding the right team balance

India can't play both of them as Hardik Pandya is unavailable

With Hardik Pandya still missing from the squad, India will find it difficult to get their team balance right. Due to Pandya’s absence, India has to play Jadeja and leave out one of their wrist spinners.

Kohli loves to have both the wrist spinners in the team as they pick up wickets in the middle overs, especially on flat wickets. If India doesn’t play Jadeja and go with the two wrist spinners, then their batting will get weak as Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be slotted at No.7.

Vijay Shankar hasn’t played much of international cricket and one cannot trust him to play the role of the all-rounder at the moment. If India gets the right balance with six bowling options and batting till No.7, then India will put up a really strong fight in the series. It is important that India find that in the early stages of the series.

#2 Kiwis hard to beat at home

NZ will have the home advantage over the visitors

Kane Williamson’s team will definitely have a slight advantage over India due to the home conditions. It is not only about the pitches and the conditions but sometimes it is also about the ground dimensions and many other things.

The grounds in New Zealand are generally small and most of the times, one side of the ground is a bit longer than the other. So it is important to know such things which the Kiwis will know well beforehand.

India might take time in adjusting to such things. Another thing to look out for in New Zealand is the direction of the wind. The wind can help the bowlers if they can bowl in the right areas and force the batsmen to hit against the wind. These things need to be looked in detail and New Zealand will have the advantage of having the knowledge of such things.

#1 New Zealand has a stronger middle order

Taylor and Latham have troubled India in the past

Even though India’s middle order contributed in their wins against Australia, it is still some way from being settled. There is a lot of debate around MS Dhoni’s position. India’s vice-captain reckons No.4 is the best position for Dhoni whereas India’s captain thinks it is No.5.

India still aren’t sure about their No.4 as Ambati Rayudu was dropped for the last game against Australia. On the other hand, New Zealand might just have the best No.4 in the business. Ross Taylor is having a phenomenal run at the age of 34. In his last ten ODI innings, Taylor has scored five fifties and three hundreds to his name.

Tom Latham is expected to bat at No.5 and he plays spin well. India has seen a lot of Taylor and Latham when the Kiwis toured India. James Neesham, who has recently made a comeback, has been in great hitting form.