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‘Conditions to be similar’: Gill on why NZ ODIs are crucial for 2027 WC plans

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The early timing of the current tour provides playing conditions that closely mirror those expected for next year's tournament, unlike traditional visits in December and January. India leads the five-match rubber after chasing down a revised DLS target of 143 in Auckland. Captain Shubman Gill spent extra time training ahead of the schedule, logging four to five supplementary sessions to prepare against the red ball. Looking ahead, the squad aims to maintain their winning run despite rain forecasts looming over the upcoming fixture in Wellington.

Key points

  • Early November tour schedules offer India more relevant global tournament preparation tha…: Early November tour schedules offer India more relevant global tournament preparation than traditional mid-winter fixtures.
  • Local wicket conditions provide movement and bounce that directly benefit India's seam bo…: Local wicket conditions provide movement and bounce that directly benefit India's seam bowling attack.
  • India carried vital momentum into the ODI schedule following a 3-2 T20I series triumph un…: India carried vital momentum into the ODI schedule following a 3-2 T20I series triumph under Shreyas Iyer.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

India captain

Shubman Gill believes the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand could play an important role in the team's preparations for next year's World Cup, with the conditions during the current tour expected to offer a glimpse of what awaits them at the global tournament.

With the World Cup scheduled for October-November next year, Gill feels playing in New Zealand in early November will give the Indian players a chance to experience conditions similar to those they could encounter during the competition.

Gill pointed out that India's previous tours of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia have generally taken place in December and January, making the timing of the current series particularly useful.

“The conditions that we’re going to get here are going to be a lot more similar to the ones that we’re going to get in the World Cup, especially playing here in early November. Usually, whenever we play in South Africa or in New Zealand or in Australia, we play around December, January and the World Cup being in October and November, so I think the…

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