FIVE THINGS INDIA MUST DO

Defending champions India will lock horns with New Zealand on Sunday in the first of their two warm-up games. HT looks at five things that Virat Kohli’s men can focus on to ensure they come out on top tomorrow:

1. Batsmen need to click:The Indian batting needs to get quality runs on board to justify their credentials. A lot of focus would be on Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma; both finding form in the IPL. There would be pressure on captain Virat Kohli as well who has been on a poor run since the Test series against Australia.

2. Getting pace-bowling combination right: Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya would want to continue their form. In such a situation, the case of Mohammed Shami becomes a bit tricky as the speedstar hasn’t played white-ball cricket since the World Cup semifinal in 2015.

3. Stop Tom Latham: The southpaw has hit three half-centuries and a century in his last five knocks. He might prove to be a threat if he’s not sent pack soon.

4. Momentum: In their last two ODI series, India have managed to win 3-2 against New Zealand and 2-1 against England. However, when they take field on Sunday, Kohli’s men will have to come up with a ruthless mentality and dominate the course of play throughout.

5. Tackle the Kiwi trio of Boult, McClenaghan and Southee: McClenaghan played an instrumental role behind Mumbai Indians lifting the IPL title for the third time while Boult had a decent run with Kolkata Knight Riders. Tim Southee, on the other hand, played just three games but had three wickets to his name. They’re a good bowling unit and with the conditions expected to help seamers, India will have to ensure that they tackle them well.