New Zealand XI vs. India XI, Tour Match: Date, Time and Preview

As New Zealand and India warm up for their two-Test series, the tourists travel to Whangarei to face a second-string New Zealand XI at the Cobham Oval.

Venue: Cobham Oval, Whangarei

Date: Sunday, February 2, and Monday, February 3, 2014

Start time: 21:30 GMT (Saturday Feb. 1)

Live on: Not available on TV.

Weather: According to AccuWeather, both days promise to be sunny and pleasantly warm, with temperatures hovering around 23 degrees Celsius.

Overview

India’s tour of New Zealand has not been very successful so far, with the tourists unable to win in the One Day International series and finding themselves dislodged as the No. 1 ODI side in the world.

At the conclusion of the five-match ODI series, they welcome their Test squad, who travel to Whangarei in northern New Zealand to face a second-string team in a two-day game.

The Indians have selected a strong squad for the two-Test series and have included seamer Ishwar Pandey for the first time after he took the most wickets in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy.

Their batsmen impressed during the last Test series against South Africa, and that unit remains unchanged, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara relied upon for the bulk of their runs.

For this game, the New Zealand XI will be led by Peter Fulton, who alongside Hamish Rutherford and Anton Devcich is one of the few players to experience international cricket.

Otherwise, they have a young squad who could all be involved in international cricket in the coming years, and who will be hoping to have a big impact in this two-day game.

Fulton and Rutherford are also both in the squad for the Test matches, which is unchanged from the team that beat West Indies 2-0 in December.

Team News

New Zealand XI (from): Peter Fulton (capt.), Roald Badenhorst, Jono Boult, Anton Devcich, Tipene Friday, Jono Hickey, Shawn Hicks, Ian PcPeake, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Seifert, Ili Tugaga, Henry Walsh

India (from): MS Dhoni (capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishwar Pandey

Uncredited/Associated Press

Key Players

Anton Devcich

Having had a taste of international cricket late last year, Anton Devcich has the chance to re-establish himself in the New Zealand team if he performs well here.

The Black Caps’ bowling unit has looked strong in the ODIs, but Devcich has the ability to break in if he can put together some good performances.

Ishwar Pandey

India’s newest Test call-up Ishwar Pandey will hope to force his way into the Test team with a good display here.

The tourists already have a strong seam attack including Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan, but Pandey took the most wickets in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy and promises much at the international level.