Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said India will be "strong favourites" against New Zealand in the upcoming three-match ODI series, starting October 22. However, the 45-year-old also shed light on the New Zealand spinners' ability to control the game in the middle overs.
Virat Kohli's men have been in rampant form in all formats of the game in the recent past. They are heading into the upcoming ODI rubber against the fifth-ranked New Zealand team on the back of crushing world champions Australia in the recently-concluded limited-overs series.
When Santner and Sodhi decimated India
However, the Men in Blue will have to keep in mind the way MS Dhoni-led India were humiliated in the opening encounter of World T20 against New Zealand last year.
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi made the best use of a dry track at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium to bowl out MS Dhoni-led India for a meagre 79 and clinch a 47-run win in a low-scoring game.
Both Santner and Sodhi, who are key to visitors' chances of troubling the number two-ranked ODI side, have warmed-up well to the upcoming series, having impressed for New Zealand against Board President's XI in the two warm-up games on October 17 and 19.
Santner, the 25-year-old left-arm spinner, also starred in New Zealand's 33-run win over the Shreyas Iyer-led Board President's XI by picking up three wickets, including that of Rishabh Pant and Mumbai teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw.
"India are strong favourites to win the upcoming series. They played well against Australia. However, New Zealand have spinners, who can control the game a bit in the middle overs. I don't know how much, but they will," Ganguly told "Sports Tak" Youtube channel on Thursday.
He added: "Having said that, India A boys gave a dress rehearsal to the New Zealand A team, which had quite a few senior members. I believe that our "Big Boys" [Kohli & Co.] will make a little more difficult for New Zealand."
Quite a few senior members of the New Zealand team, including Sodhi, big-hitting opener Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls got themselves attuned to the sub-continent conditions by being a part of the New Zealand A team that toured India for unofficial Test and OD series.
The likes of Williamson, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Tim Southee will be key to the visitors' chances in the upcoming series and the senior men will look to make the best use of their Indian Premier League experience.
The presence of in-form Tom Latham, who starred with the bat the last time New Zealand toured India in 2016, will be a big boost to the batting unit, which is gearing up to prove its mettle against the Indian wrist spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who decimated Steve Smith's men in the recently-concluded limited-overs series.
