If there is one team in this World Cup which hosts India have to worry about, then it is New Zealand. It will be a clash of table toppers when they face off at the picturesque HPCA stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday.
While India have been in tune with home conditions, New Zealand remain a steady team with a dominant record so far in the tournament. There is very little to separate the two teams who have won their respective four matches so far and are confident of moving into the next phase of the competition.
Quite a few of the members of the New Zealand team are regular picks in the IPL and know the Indian pitches well. However, the Kiwis will miss the services of their talismanic skipper Kane Williamson due to a thumb fracture.
Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday's high-pressure match NZ's stand-in skipper Tom Latham emphasised how his team was quite adaptable to conditions vastly different from Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai where they played their previous three matches. Excerpts...
The reason behind NZ’s exceptional record against India in the World Cups:
I'm not sure to be honest. They're a fantastic team. For us, it's just about trying to execute our game plan as best we can. If we do that, then we know we can beat any team in the world. Anyone can beat anyone on their day and it's about whoever turns up on that specific day and plays well. So, tomorrow's going to be no different.
Being adaptable is probably one of the most important things for us as a group and trying to do that as quickly as possible.
Adaptability, sticking to our plan as best you can. And if you do that, then hopefully that gives you a good chance at the end of the game.
On the face-off between the Indian top order and NZ new ball bowlers:
India's top order have been fantastic this tournament. That's going to be a great contest and obviously vice versa with Indian seamers and our top order. There are some pretty good matchups and I think it's going to be a really tight contest.
On NZ reaching the Rugby World Cup summit clash:
I definitely stayed up for the 'All Blacks' game and watched them. It was a great contest. Obviously, Kiwis support each other wherever in the world and we're certainly no different in supporting the 'All Blacks'. We've had so much support back home and here as well.
On Kane Williamson’s rehab and recovery:
Kane’s still nursing his thumb injury. It's a day-by-day process with him as well. Fingers crossed he'll be available for later on in the tournament. We are trying to deal with it as best we can.
Thoughts on dew being a key factor in Sunday's game:
Yeah, I think dew is a massive factor here in Dharamsala. I think we turned up at 5 o'clock last night, and there was some dew starting to form. We're trying to work out what the best way is for us moving forward into the game -- whether it be a bat or ball first.