Wellington, Nov 6: Steady drizzle in Wellington on Friday forced New Zealand to shift their training indoors and India to cancel their practice session altogether, as the weather took centre stage on the eve of the second one-day international between the two sides at the Hnry Stadium on Saturday. With rain also forecast for match day, the contest that should have been about cricket has become, at least for now, a waiting game with the clouds.
India lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning the opening ODI by five wickets at Eden Park in Auckland, and a victory on Saturday would put them two wins away from a series triumph with three matches still to play. New Zealand, meanwhile, need a win to stay in the contest and to stop the visitors from building an early and commanding lead.
The weather, however, may have other ideas. Wellington woke on Friday to a misty morning and a cold wind, and it remained overcast for much of the day, with the sun playing hide and seek through the clouds. New Zealand moved their training to an indoor facility opposite the Basin Reserve, while India decided against travelling to the ground at all and stayed back at their hotel.
The forecast for Saturday is similar: cloudy and windy for much of the day, with rain expected in the afternoon and evening. How much of the game can be played remains anybody's guess, and fans could be in for another frustrating day of cricket.
Wellington is known as the second windiest city in the world, and its weather is famously unpredictable. Frequent showers and sudden changes are part of the city's character, and visiting teams have learned to expect disruption. The first ODI in Auckland had also been affected by rain, starting ten minutes after the scheduled time, and the pattern looks set to continue in the capital.
If the weather allows a full game, the most interesting question for India will be the composition of their bowling attack. Mohammed Siraj has joined the team after finishing his India A duties and is available for selection, but the team management has not yet decided whether he will play.
Fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh kept his cards close to his chest, saying only that Siraj had joined the team and was available for selection, and that the management would take a call on whether he would play.
Siraj did not play the first match at Eden Park because he was involved in the second India A versus New Zealand A four-day game. Despite his absence, India's young pace attack performed well in Auckland. Arshdeep Singh took four wickets for 70 runs, while Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi all impressed in helpful conditions. Kamboj took two for 22, Brar three for 44, and Nabi, though wicketless, conceded only 33 runs in six overs in his second ODI.
The selection dilemma is straightforward. Siraj is the most experienced fast bowler in the squad and was expected to lead the attack on this tour. But the young bowlers who played in Auckland did little wrong, and dropping one of them to make room for Siraj would be harsh.
In all likelihood, Nabi, who was unlucky to go wicketless for a second successive ODI, could make way. That apart, India may not make any more changes, particularly with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul scheduled to depart after the third ODI to prepare for the Test series.
The conditions in Wellington are likely to favour the fast bowlers, which strengthens the case for a pace-heavy attack. Axar Patel is expected to remain the sole spinner, with Kuldeep Yadav having to bide his time in the dressing room. The pitch at the Hnry Stadium is expected to assist the seamers, and with cloud cover forecast, the ball should move in the air.
In such conditions, Siraj's experience and his ability to swing the ball could prove valuable, and the team management will weigh that against the performances of the youngsters in Auckland.
India's pace concerns before the tour were real. Lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the limited-overs legs of the tour with an eye on the two-Test series starting on November 19, while Prasidh Krishna was ruled out owing to injury. That left Siraj with the task of leading a young attack which had a combined experience of just 29 ODIs before the opening match.
The youngsters passed their first test, but the tour will demand more from them, and Siraj's return would give the attack a leader.
For New Zealand, the news is less encouraging. The hosts were hit by another injury blow when batter Devon Conway was ruled out of the remainder of the series after failing to recover from the concussion he suffered following a collision with Matt Henry during training on the eve of the series. Conway's absence weakens the New Zealand batting, and the selectors have turned to left-handed batter Nick Kelly to fill the gap.
Kelly was expected to link up with the squad in Wellington on Friday, leaving him only a day to settle in before the second ODI.
Matt Henry, by contrast, is fit again, which is good news for the home side's bowling. Henry is one of New Zealand's most reliable fast bowlers, and his return will strengthen an attack that needs to find a way past an Indian batting line-up featuring Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The Indian top order is formidable, and New Zealand's bowlers will need to exploit the Wellington conditions to make early inroads.
The likely Indian playing eleven, if Siraj comes in, would be Shubman Gill as captain, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul as wicketkeeper, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj. That combination gives India four fast bowlers, two all-rounders and a batting line-up that runs deep. It is a side built for the conditions, with pace to exploit the cloud cover and batting to chase or set a competitive total.
New Zealand's predicted side would feature Mitchell Santner as captain, Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham as wicketkeeper, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry, with Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner among the options. The home side will be hoping that the Wellington pitch and the weather give their bowlers the assistance they need to contain the Indian batting.
The broader context of the series adds to the interest. This is a five-match ODI series, a long engagement by modern standards, and it is being played in the lead-up to the Test series starting on November 19. Both teams are using the one-day matches to build form and to test combinations, but the result matters too. India will want to seal the series early, while New Zealand will want to show that they can compete at home against one of the best sides in the world.
The first match suggested that India have the edge. The young bowlers performed beyond expectations, the batting chased down the target with five wickets in hand, and the team looked settled under Gill's captaincy. But one match is a small sample, and New Zealand at home are always dangerous, particularly when conditions suit their bowlers.
Much will depend on the weather. If rain intervenes, the match could be shortened, and a reduced game changes the calculations for both sides. A shorter match favours the team that can adapt quickly, and it places a premium on aggressive batting and tight bowling. Both captains will have to be ready to adjust their plans if the rain arrives.
For now, the teams wait. India will hope for a complete outing that takes them to a 2-0 lead. New Zealand will hope for a dry day and a chance to level the series. And the fans in Wellington will hope that the city's famous wind blows the rain away long enough for a full game of cricket. The forecast is not promising, but in Wellington, the forecast is rarely the whole story.
(Reporting based on The Times of India, the Deccan Herald and Cricket News.)