The Indian team has reached New Zealand and the first part of the tour which consists of two T20 matches starts on the 25th February. The second T20 match is on the 27th.
The team is currently stationed at Christchurch, where the first T20 match will take place. Net practise sessions have been organised at the Lincoln University Grounds on the outskirts of Christchurch. Since there are absolutely no practise matches before the first international, the net sessions are all the more important for the team, especially for the members of the T20 and One Day teams who are touring New Zealand for the first time.
One of the challenges of playing in New Zealand is the fierce Kiwi Wind. That’s a huge factor and it requires huge adjusting to – and not just for the batsmen. The bowlers will often need to factor in the wind else a ball which would have been ‘a perfect line’ in normal conditions could sway and land a few inches to the left or right from its intended spot, making it that much juicier. The fielders too need to be very wary of the wind, else it can be very embarassing, especially for the outfielders, or when you are trying to nab a skier.
During their last outing here, India failed miserably. However, this time the situation should be more to India’s liking as it is the latter half of the season, and the wickets won’t be as spiteful and alive. Plus, the fact that India are in good form should matter.
All in all, it promises to be a good series because India are in good form and New Zealand always difficult to beat in their own backyard. Live Cricket action starts in less than 3 days from now. Where are you planning to watch the series live? I will be catching the cricket from the India – New Zealand series live on tv ( channel: Star Cricket) most of the times except when i will be travelling. Then i will have to watch the live streaming cricket on my laptop. Lots of you too would be engaging yourself with live cricket streaming on the internet – don’t forget to share the names and urls of the websites where you will be seeing the matches live / live cricket sopcasts. You can use the comments are below to share the websites info and details with us. Also share info on highlights packages of the series. Thanks, and happy viewing!