The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand is all set to get underway on Sunday (January 11) in Vadodara.
On the eve of the first ODI, stand-in Kiwi skipper Michael Bracewell addressed a press conference, where he backed all-rounder Kyle Jamieson to spearhead the pace attack and confirmed an ODI debut for 24-year-old Kristian Clarke.
“We have Kyle Jamieson, who's been around the game a long time and has plenty of experience. I'll be leaning a lot on him as captain to lead the bowling attack. He's a very skilful bowler,” Bracewell told the reporters.
“We're still working through the last of our (playing) XI, but I can confirm that Kristian Clarke is making his debut tomorrow (Sunday) so it's an exciting chance for him.
"We're really excited about how he's been bowling in domestic cricket in New Zealand and also in the build-up over here."
Although some senior New Zealand players will not feature in the ODI series, the visitors have some of their frontline batters available. Bracewell admitted that batting was their “strong” suit.
“If you look at the experience in our side, it's in the batting department, which is fortunate. We know that our batting side is going to be strong and then there's plenty of opportunities for young guys to come in,” he stated.
Bracewell said before taking on the world No. 1 side, the second-ranked New Zealand have been fortunate to have spent some extra time in India.
“We perhaps don't have the experience that we normally have on our side. But in saying that, we come in here with high expectations on how we're going to play. We want to gain some experience of playing in these conditions and put on a good show for it,” he said.
“It's a huge benefit to being here this far out from the (T20) World Cup. We're certainly concentrating on this ODI series and want to have a big impact tomorrow.
“The fortunate thing is that we get to spend a bit more time in these conditions and hone our skills in these foreign conditions to us. There's a group of us here that have been here for a little bit longer doing some commercial commitments in Mumbai.”
Bracewell threw his weight behind 23-year-old leg-spinner Adithya Ashok, saying the latter will come good if given a chance.
"He's tall and bowls quickly, gives the ball a good spin. We're excited to see what he has in this series. I'm sure he'll go really well. He's been bowling brilliantly in the nets,” he said.
Bracewell acknowledged the playing conditions in India are different because of jam-packed stadium.
“There are plenty of distractions over here, that's for sure. We (are not) used to in New Zealand, particularly in domestic cricket, to play in front of many people, so to come here in front of a sold-out crowd of 40,000 is a little bit different for a few guys in the group," he said.
“But we've spoken about that and what to expect when you walk out onto the field.
"Devon (Conway) has played a lot over here and he's been really keen to share the experiences that he's had, whether it's international cricket or in the IPL. Glenn Phillips is also someone who's played a lot of cricket."
Bracewell also praised the BCA Stadium in Vadodara for its facilities. “(It's) a new facility so everything seems state-of-the-art and yeah, great facilities. It looks like an absolutely amazing outfield, one thing that stood out to me. I had to pick up some grass and see if it was real,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
