“Good opportunity for us to show our skills,” says Shikhar Dhawan ahead of NZ clash

New Delhi: Ahead of the ODI clash against New Zealand on Friday, India captain Shikhar Dhawan said that this ODI series against the Blackcaps would be an excellent exposure for the young players and they are looking forward to playing some good cricket in the tricky weather.

The Indian team will play three-match ODI series against the Kiwis starting on November 25, as Men in Blue builds up to the 2023 World Cup. The last time India toured New Zealand was in January-February 2020. The series will be held between November 18 to 30 and New Zealand will return to India for a white-ball series in January next year.

“To play good cricket and win this series, that’s what we are looking for. It will be a good exposure for the young players to come and play in New Zealand. To test their skills in different conditions. It’s a good opportunity for us to show our skills,” said Shikhar Dhawan in the pre-match conference.

“This preparation is all about the upcoming World Cup. The players are forming really well. It good to see that they are doing well and we have a really good idea…. who will get a chance to claim a spot in the World Cup squad,” he added.

Talking about the captaincy role the Indian captain said, “I am really fortunate to get the captaincy of the Indian team. It is very nice to have this challenging opportunity. We have won a good series too. I was not hurt when the captaincy was taken back from me. I don’t feel bad if something didn’t go the way we wanted.”

With the seniors rested, the series will include a large number of young people. Shikhar Dhawan, India’s veteran hitter, is slated to lead the team. His deputy will be Rishabh Pant. Deepak Chahar will also make an appearance after the pacer missed the T20 World Cup due to a back injury. The Indian team arrived in Auckland on Wednesday and immediately went to practice.

India: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC and WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham , Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Henry Nicholls.