New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham said India have benefited from playing major tournaments in the familiar conditions of the subcontinent. Neesham pointed out that conditions have been favorable to teams from the subcontinent in recent years and said the upcoming tournaments are expected to follow the same pattern.
India are set to host New Zealand in a five-match series ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka in February and March. This series will be an important opportunity to fine-tune the combinations ahead of the upcoming event. New Zealand will have a chance to adapt to the conditions of the subcontinent.
I won’t talk about it before the tournament – James Neesham
James Neesham said that he does not want to reveal strategic secrets before New Zealand’s tour of India. Neesham said it is difficult for visiting teams to beat top teams like India at home, but adapting to the local conditions will be a major focus for the Black Caps.
,If there is any strategic plan, I will not talk about it before the tournament, that’s for sure. “They’ve obviously had some good results over the last few years, it helps that there have been some tournaments in very favorable conditions for teams from the subcontinent,” Neesham was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“This tournament will be no different in that respect. It’s tough to beat strong teams in their conditions and we’ll be talking a lot about that through that series over the next few weeks,” he said.
We had no leaders in cricket – James Neesham
James Neesham said that the upcoming series against India is valuable preparation for the World Cup. He said New Zealand’s aim is still to compete hard and win matches, but the bigger focus is on using the games to prepare for the World Cup by finding the right combinations and clear roles.
“Not necessarily focused on that series, it’s still international cricket, you still want to perform well and win games, but it’s no secret that it’s a bit of a build-up to the World Cup,” Neesham added.
“As much as we are looking at India’s team and tactics, it is about finding our own combinations and being comfortable as a team, because we did not have any cricket leading into the 2024 World Cup in the West Indies.”
He said, “It was a challenge to strategise for our game rather than what our opponent is doing. We have learned our lesson, and we are going to move on after a lot of cricket. Looking forward to getting out there and getting together with a group of guys who have a lot of experience playing together.”
We have no control over this… – James Neesham
James Neesham said New Zealand face a tough draw in the upcoming World Cup, where they have been paired with South Africa and Afghanistan. Neesham described it as another challenging group but also said that the teams have no control over the decisions of the group.
Neesham said, “It is a tough group, we have no control over the drawing of groups for world events. It would be nice to be in that position, but we have to play with the cards we are dealt. In the ’24 World Cup also we were in a tough group, so there are some tournaments going on which is interesting.”
New Zealand have been placed in Group D for the T20 World Cup along with South Africa, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Canada.
They will begin their campaign in Chennai, where they will face Afghanistan on February 8, followed by the UAE on February 10. New Zealand will face South Africa on February 14 before playing their final group-stage match against Canada on February 17.
Also read: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in 2026: India’s complete cricket schedule revealed
