After starting the new year on a high in Australia, Team India gear up for their next challenge – the Blackcaps. The tour in New Zealand, starting from January 23, will comprise of five ODIs and three T20Is.

Kohli and Co. have reiterated time and again how they make a formidable force with both, bat and ball. As the team has grown in experience and form, the Men in Blue have conquered many unprecedented heights – the bilateral series win in Australia being the most recent one. However, India will know better than to take the Kiwis lightly. Under the captaincy of Kane Williamson, the team has bloomed magnificently. After comprehensively beating Sri Lanka in all three formats of the game, the Blackcaps look confident at home.

With the bigger picture of the World Cup in mind, the two teams are yet doing permutations and combinations to find their best XI. Here’s a look into how they could be lined up.

From the Indian dressing room:

India’s top three – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli – have been on song. Such is the form of the top order that the sound of the ball coming off their willow is bettered only by the reaction of the crowd. To add to that, the short boundaries in New Zealand will certainly make a power-hitter like our Hitman more menacing.

As a team, India looked the most settled in the final ODI against the Aussies. Kedar Jadhav coming to form in quick time will help MS Dhoni steer the innings well in the middle overs. Jadhav’s ability to contribute in both innings can be valuable for the visitors. Dinesh Karthik should keep his place given his current form with the bat in the lower order.

Short boundaries will bring a bigger challenge to the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami who have had fair success in Australia.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the two pacers have managed the bowling attacking commendably.

After a six-for in the decider against Australia, Yuzvendra Chahal will be confident of his spot in the team. The spot for the second spinner will be decided between Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

From the New Zealand dressing room:

Although there is no doubt about the abilities of the Kiwi openers, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro will be determined to click as a pair and not in individual spurts.

The biggest threat to India will come from Ross Taylor who will look to continue his purple patch from the Sri Lankan series. What is worth noting is that post the 2015 ICC World Cup, Taylor’s batting average comes second only to that of Kohli. And Taylor averaged a whopping 98 in 2018.

In the same bracket of fine batsmen comes captain Kane Williamson whose batting prowess can never be questioned. Tom Latham returns to the scheme of things after being rested for the ODIs against Lanka and the wicketkeeper-batsman will look to emulate his run-scoring form from the Kiwis’ tour of India in 2017. He scored a whirlwind 110 in the Super Smash very recently.

Challenging India’s top order will be the ace swing force of the Blackcaps. Having tried different combinations of seam bowling against Sri Lanka, they could go ahead with Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson, resting Matt Henry. Jimmy Neesham’s injury will trouble the Kiwis but Mitchell Santner marks his return to the side which should bolster the team’s spin bowling alongside wrist-spinner Ish Sodhi.

The meeting between the second and the third best team in ODIs will not only be a fight for the number two spot, but also a potential revelation of what could unfold at the World Cup in England. The first ODI will start at 7:30 AM IST at McLean Park, Napier.