Bad news for New Zealand like India, key player out of first ODI

Hyderabad: Acting captain Tom Latham said on Wednesday ahead of the ODI series against India that experienced fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult will be missed by New Zealand (IND vs NZ). But he believes that this will give new players a chance to take responsibility on the tour of India. Southee has returned home after a successful tour of Pakistan while Boult is playing in the ILT20 in the UAE after opting out of New Zealand’s central contract. In the batting department, the team will miss regular skipper Kane Williamson.

what did captain latham say

Latham said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, ‘They (Boult, Southee, Williamson) are not in the team and we will miss them. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for other players in the team. All the players in the team have played international cricket which is a bonus. Now it is his turn to take responsibility. Lucky we have Lockie Ferguson who has played a lot of cricket in India.

Ferguson will lead New Zealand’s pace attack which also includes Blair Tickner, Doug Bracewell and Henry Shipley. The left-handed batsman said that senior spinner Ish Sodhi has also been ruled out of the first ODI due to a minor injury. Sodhi practiced in the nets on Tuesday but did not bowl as hard as he usually does. A good player of spin, Latham spent maximum time in the nets.

World Cup in India as well

After a memorable 2-1 victory in Pakistan, the New Zealand team will enter the ODI series in India. Latham said that the series holds immense importance in view of the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November. He said, ‘We played very good cricket in Pakistan. Some of the players had never toured Pakistan before and still winning the series is good enough. Here we will try to adjust to the circumstances as much as possible.

In the context of the World Cup, he said, ‘The World Cup is not far away and before that it is our last chance to play in these conditions. We will try to learn as much as possible from these situations. Fortunately, most of the players have played in Indian conditions.

Latham said he has prepared against the Indian bowlers including the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Their batsmen will also benefit from playing in Pakistan before the tour of India. Virat Kohli has returned to form and scored three hundreds in the last four ODIs but Latham said the team has plans in place for India’s star batsman.

He said, ‘Virat is playing very good cricket. He seems to be hitting the ball well. We need to make the best plan. We will try to make it as difficult as possible for him (to score runs).

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