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 conditions are going to be a lot more similar, and it’s going to be a really good experience for us,” Gill said in a video released by BCCI on X.India have already taken a 1-0 advantage in the five-match ODI series following their victory in the rain-hit opening match in Auckland on Wednesday. The visitors successfully chased a revised DLS target of 143 to get their campaign off to a winning start.However, the weather could again have a say in the second encounter, with rain forecast in Wellington on Saturday.
Gill explains early arrival in New Zealand
The India skipper also spoke about his decision to arrive ahead of the rest of the squad. Gill wanted additional practice time, particularly with the red ball, as he looked to get a better understanding of the conditions in the country.The batter admitted that he had limited experience playing Test cricket in New Zealand and wanted to use the extra sessions to work on his game.“I wanted to get four or five extra sessions before I joined the team, mainly because of the red ball. I wanted to come here, work a little bit on my game, and see how the red ball is because I haven’t played a Test match here. I’ve played a couple of India A matches but haven’t really played that much Test cricket here,” Gill said.Gill also expressed confidence in India’s fast-bowling resources, backing Anshul Kamboj, Aaqib Nabi Dar, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh to make an impact during the series.He believes the conditions in New Zealand, particularly the bounce on offer, suit the qualities these pacers bring to the attack.“With the wickets seeming around and giving good bounce, our fast bowlers, whether it is Anshul, Aqib, Gurnoor or Arshdeep, I think the skill set that they bring to the team in these conditions is tailor-made for them, and I’m really optimistic that they’re going to have a really good series,” he said.
Gill credits T20I series win for India’s momentum
Gill also reflected on India’s 3-2 victory in the preceding T20I series, praising Shreyas Iyer‘s captaincy and the team’s ability to recover from difficult situations in the first two matches.He felt those comebacks helped India build momentum, which the team carried into the ODI series. Gill also acknowledged that New Zealand would be keen to respond after losing the T20I series.“I think he (Shreyas) led the T20 series beautifully. You know, playing in a country like New Zealand and winning the first three matches is never easy, and more so the kind of situation we were in, in the first and in the second T20, from there making a comeback. You know, those are the kind of matches that completely change the momentum, and now the momentum is with us, having won that series, and a lot of our boxes are ticked, and New Zealand would look to come hard at us, which I think we are well prepared for,” he said.India will now look to extend their advantage in the five-match ODI series when they take on New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.