Currently, the Indian team is playing against Kangaroos. Just after that, the team will visit New Zealand will play five ODI matches and three T-20 matches there. This is an important tournament with the perspective of the preparation of the Indian team for the ICC World Cup 2019. Both the teams are in good form at the moment. However, it seems that the New Zealanders are taking this series very seriously. They have announced their squad for this coming series. They have included their best players in the line-up comprising this ODI squad. The captain and the coach of the New Zealand team are together preparing for this tournament to fine-tune their team so that they perform well in the quadrennial tournament.
New Zealand made a clean sweep of 3-0 in the series against the Sri Lankans and they also won the one-off T20 match that they played. They had rested their two-star players Tom Latham and Colin De Gdanrhomme in the ODIs and Kane Williamson and Trent Boult in the T20 match. These four are back in the New Zealand squad which is a clear sign that they want to halt the Indian team in its track.
The Indian team has done creditably over the last more than twelve months when they were mostly on the road. The India vs Australia ODI series is presently tied at one all but the final at Melbourne tomorrow will tell who emerges the winner. The Indians too are bent on finalising their team for the World Cup. This will be the last chance for the Indian team to practice on the faster pitches that they will encounter in New Zealand. Both the teams will be therefore looking to iron out the kinks in their line-up before they board the flight to England.
India and New Zealand are ranked second and third in the ICC ODI rankings as on the 15th of January this year. That will make the contest between the two even more interesting. The aim of both the teams will be to peak at the right time and to be a force to reckon with in the ICC World Cup 2019.
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