As the Indian team prepares for the challenging assignment, former India fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar believes that adapting to the conditions will be an important factor, particularly for the bowling attack. India are set to begin their all-format tour of New Zealand on October 22, with a five-match T20I series followed by five ODIs and two Test matches.
However, the former India fielding coach pointed out that the time of year could make a difference, with New Zealand entering spring. He suggested that bowlers might benefit from pitching the ball slightly fuller to encourage batters to play their shots and potentially make mistakes. “It’s springtime, it’s going to be beautiful in New Zealand. So probably the lengths have become a little crucial, could be a little fuller, maybe more towards the six-metre mark,” he explained.
The hosts have also announced separate squads for the first three ODIs and the final two matches to manage player workloads ahead of the Test series. The former India fielding coach stressed that the quicker India’s bowlers adapt to the right lengths, the better their chances of making an impact during the tour. He also underlined the value of having a bowler who can exploit the conditions. “So, the quicker our bowlers adjust to the length, that would be better.
New Zealand will enter the ODI series looking to build on their historic 2-1 bilateral series victory over India on Indian soil earlier in 2026.
And that is why having Bhuvi there in that lineup makes a big difference,” Sridhar said.
