Tri-series: India Vs New Zealand preview

Just a couple of days after a thrilling test win against Sri Lanka, India will be shifting gears as they take on New Zealand in the first ODI of the tri-series at Dambulla. The series also involves hosts Sri Lanka and will be seen as an opportunity to test players before the World Cup in 2011.

India were so desperate to save time that they hired an army chopper to fly their players to Dambulla, instead of the 5 hours bus ride from Colombo.

New Zealand on the other hand have been out of the spotlight for the past few months. They have also had a hand full of practice games before the seiries, which is sure to come in handy. However, they are without captain Daniel Vettori and wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, both of whom have been rested ahead of a busy year.

This series has been hyped as the first step to the World Cup in 2011. All teams will be eager to give lesser known players a try.  New Zealand have rookies Kane Williamson and Andy McKay who will be eyeing a permanant spot, while India’s Abhimanyu Mithun will also be trying to impress.

There is some bad news for India, Ishant Sharma injured his ankle and will not play in the first ODI. Meanwhile Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh will return to the side to boost the batting.

India are probable the favourites for this one, mainly due to their superior batting line up . However New Zealand are not a team to be taken lightly.

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