It’s all about acclimatising to the subcontinent for the BLACKCAPS who have begun their ICC World Twenty20 journey by touching down in Dubai over the weekend.
The 15-man squad has been training at the ICC Academy over the last few days which should sharpen their senses nicely ahead of the big show in India next week, according to coach Mike Hesson.
“It’s a great chance to adjust to the heat and also to a similar time zone so it’s a good transition for us,” Hesson said.
“The boys are really excited about the challenges ahead and the last time most of this group was together we won the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy so there’s a good vibe in the group.”
Hesson’s men are coming off a strong T20 home summer where they lost just one of their five games against Sri Lanka and a very strong Pakistan side.
“We’re up to fourth in the rankings in Twenty20, which is a big improvement from where we started the season.”
“We got there on the back of a number of different players performing, so it’s an exciting tournament and it’s going to be tough, but it’s something we’re all looking forward to,” he added.
One man to watch on the trip will be 23-year-old legspinner Ish Sodhi.
The SKYCITY Northern Knights wrist spinner is coming off a strong summer with the ball which included two recent Man of the Match performances, in the final ODI against Australia and the Island of Origin T20 fixture.
“It’s exciting for Ish, he’s grown another leg in the last six months and he’s certainly confident.
“He’s a matchwinner for us in the middle overs, so if he’s able to bowl well in India he should get plenty of rewards.”
The tour will also be the first after the Brendon McCullum era, although that’s of little concern to the coach.
“Thankfully we’ve been on a few tours with Kane looking after the boys, whether it be Dubai or Africa last time, so he’s had some opportunities there and we’re looking forward to what’s ahead,” Hesson said.
The BLACKCAPS will fly into Mumbai today for warm-up matches against Sri Lanka (11th, 3.30am NZT) and England (13th, 11:30pm NZT) before opening the tournament against hosts India in Nagpur (16th, 3.30am NZT).
All matches will be live on SKY Sport. Follow our online livescoring at blackcaps.co.nz and stay up with the play on @BLACKCAPS Twitter.
