NZ brace for spin attack

The New Zealand cricket team is looking forward to the challenge of facing India’s wrist spinners in their upcoming one-day international and Twenty20 matches in India, starting on Sunday in Mumbai.

The Black Caps will be looking to improve on their five-match series defeat last season, which saw India steamroll them by 190 runs in the ODI series-deciding fifth match to take a 3-2 win.

Dealing with the Indian wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in their home conditions will provide a stern test for the Black Caps batsmen.

‘‘Both are very talented bowlers and I think anyone who plays for India is a very talented player. Their exposure in the IPL has been huge for them and pushing their case to play for India and they have both been very successful, so we know it will be a tough challenge, but one the guys will be looking forward to,’’ New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said.

According to Williamson, adjusting to each venue will be necessary throughout the tour, which starts with a match against the Indian Board President’s XI today.

‘‘Naturally spin in this part of the world is always a key factor, one that you know you are going to come up against a majority of the overs, but over here you play on some very good surfaces and some that are more challenging and spin a lot more,’’ he said.

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson believes that players handle the threat of Yadav and Chahal in their own way.

‘‘It is very much an individual thing, some guys watch the hand, some look at the wrist, some read it off the pitch, some guys see it in the air, everybody’s a little bit different,’’ he said. ‘‘We do know wrist spinners also provide scoring opportunities, so we have got to make sure we are not just jumping at shadows, that we are actually playing the ball, rather than thinking of them as too much of a mystery.’’