If one discounts ATG new boys Sri Lanka, this series is a true 'battle of the basement', and both sides will be looking to recover some form after being on the wrong end of 3-0 drubbings in their last outings. History suggests that India will enter the series as slight favourites, having come out on top in the previous two series between the teams, but hopes are high in New Zealand that this might be the occasion when the Blackcaps record their first ever ATG series victory.
John Reid has been retained as Kiwi skipper despite a lack of personal form, especially with the ball, and his opposite number on tour will be the Nawab of Pataudi jnr, who has been given the chance to lead his country for the first time outside of India. Pataudi's record as skipper is an uninspiring played six, lost six though, and one feels that his second stint as India's captain could be a short one if results go against him on this trip. As far as his squad is concerned, there are recalls for Amar Singh and Venkat, whilst the likes of Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Srinath, Umrigar, Shastri and Engineer have all been discarded after the disastrous home series against England. Gavaskar retains his place despite the controversy surrounding his displacement as captain, and one cannot help but speculate that the internal wranglings in the Indian squad might be just as interesting as the actual cricket during this series!
India's SquadMAK Pataudi (c), VS Hazare (v/c), L Amar Singh, M Amarnath, M Azharuddin, SM Gavaskar, KD Ghavri, SP Gupte, Kapil Dev, SMH Kirmani, MH Mankad, DG Phadkar, M Prabhakar, MS Tamhane, DB Vengsarkar, S Venkataraghavan.
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