India's tour of New Zealand will begin on October 22 with T20Is.
KL Rahul is one of India's important performers in the forthcoming Test series, according to former New Zealand pacer Trent Boult. Additionally, he expressed his desire to watch Yashasvi Jaiswal bat in New Zealand.
India is set to tour New Zealand for two Tests, five ODIs, and five T20Is in October-November this year in a marathon tour that begins on October 22. This tour will also celebrate the centenary of India-New Zealand sporting ties.
“I’m always a big fan of KL Rahul and his style of batsmanship. So, he’s a big player at the top of the order for the Indian side. And yeah, I believe Jaiswal is there as well. Two classy batters to see bat. So yeah, be interesting to see. It’s always an exciting chance when the Indian team comes down to play Test cricket in New Zealand,” Boult said in an exclusive interview with PTI, facilitated by organizers of the European T20 Premier League.
India will be touring New Zealand in late October-November rather than the traditional February-March window, and Boult feels this could make things hard for the Shubman Gill-led side, as he expects the weather to be cold.
“The only thing I can see happening is it’s going to be late October. I believe I'm just coming out of winter. So, it’s going to be quite cold. Hopefully, there’s a bit of greenness in the wickets for some of our bowlers. It’s going to be a good series, I’m sure,” Boult said.
Boult also praised the current lot of New Zealand pacers, like Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Nathan Smith, and Will O'Rourke, offering different strengths.
“I think the bowling is very well balanced. It’s got bases covered in terms of a good pace, obviously, with Will O’Rourke. Obviously, a bit of swing and a bit of bounce from Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry with his accuracy. So yeah, I think the way I, Tim, and Wags did it over the years was a unique way in itself. But there are other strengths and other game plans that our younger bowlers can follow,” Boult said.
India’s tour of New Zealand will begin with the T20I series from October 22 to November 1. The five ODIs will be played from November 4 to 15, and the two tests will be played on November 19 and November 27.
(PTI inputs)