The challenge that lies ahead of Kane Williamson’s talented New Zealand team is formidable. Their record in India is abysmal. The Black Caps have only won two out of the 31 Tests they have played in the country – the last win came almost three decades ago in 1988.

Of course, they will not be unduly worried about the past. For, first under Brendon McCullum and now, Kane Williamson, New Zealand have forged a culture which thrives on playing fearless cricket. They are still a work in progress in Test cricket though, and a series in the dry, dusty conditions that they are sure to encounter in India may still prove a step too far for them.

Conversely, that could be exactly what New Zealand need. As their coach Mike Hesson reasoned after the 0-1 series loss to South Africa, “Every country is challenged to try and win away from home but a big part (of getting better) is getting experiences into players. For the guys that will be a big part of our future, the experiences will be invaluable.”

Big Kane

A touch under-rated, perhaps, but Kane Williamson is already regarded, along with Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root, as one of the four best batsmen in the world currently. In fact, he has stolen a bit of a march over them – with his century against Zimbabwe earlier in the year, he joined an elite club of only 13 batsmen who have scored centuries against all nine Test playing nations. Kohli, Smith and Root have not made that list yet.

And he loves India. His debut in Test cricket came in Ahmedabad in 2010, where he scored a gritty 131. He has two other half-centuries in eight more innings in India, and a lot will be riding on his shoulders.

But Williamson will not be able to do it alone. And that is where New Zealand have some problems. Martin Guptill struggled against the moving ball in South Africa and his record in Asia does not make for pretty reading. Ross Taylor also had three single-digit scores in South Africa, but he has scored centuries in Bangalore, Colombo and Dubai, which should give him confidence.

Steady pace but what else?

New Zealand’s multi-faceted pace attack is one of their strongest weapons, but India will definitely produce surfaces to neutralise that key strength. Trent Boult and Tim Southee can be unplayable on helpful conditions and Neil Wagner proved his worth in South Africa. Boult’s experience of Indian conditions as a result of playing in the Indian Premier League could come in handy with Doug Bracewell and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham making up the rest of the pace attack.

What New Zealand will need from their pace bowlers is for someone to quickly pick up the art of reverse swing, when the ball becomes old and the surface rough. As South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada demonstrated last year in the winter series, there is a place for pace bowlers in the subcontinent who can add deception to their armoury.

Spinners have an opportunity

India faced New Zealand in their World Twenty20 opener in Nagpur in March this year and no one gave the Kiwis much of a chance. Then their spinners choked India ,who collapsed to a shock 47-run defeat.

Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner were the wreckers-in-chief back then, and they will be returning to India, this time in the Test whites. The third spinner is the squad is Mark Craig. All three are untested in Indian conditions in Test cricket, but they will definitely get conducive surfaces to prove their worth.

Sodhi is an exciting leg-spinner who will need to showcase more control in the longer formats of the game. The surprise element could be provided by the off-spinner Craig – he has a ten-wicket match haul, including figures of 7/94 in the first innings, against Pakistan in a Test in Sharjah in 2014.

The myth about Indians being the best players of spin has long been tarnished – against South Africa in their first Test in Mohali last year, they gifted four wickets to the part-time left-arm spin of opener Dean Elgar. New Zealand’s own left-arm tweaker Mitchell Santner picked up 4/11 against India in that World Twenty20 victory, and will want to inflict further damage.

India, by virtue of their ranking of the world’ ssecond best Test team, are overwhelming favourites. But Test cricket has increasingly become unpredictable. No one would have predicted Sri Lanka’s 3-0 whitewash of Australia. And New Zealand can never really be written off, can they? Their bowling seems strong enough and if their batting comes to the fore, Virat Kohli’s men will have a challenge on their hands.

The New Zealand squad

  • Kane Williamson (captain): Batsman
  • Ross Taylor: Batsman
  • Martin Guptill: Batsman
  • Tom Latham: Batsman
  • Henry Nicholls: Batsman
  • BJ Watling: Batsman/Wicket-keeper
  • Luke Ronchi: Batsman/Wicket-keeper
  • Jimmy Neesham: All-rounder
  • Mark Craig: Spinner
  • Ish Sodhi: Spinner
  • Mitchell Santner: Spinner
  • Doug Bracewell: Pace bowler
  • Tim Southee: Pace bowler
  • Trent Boult: Pace bowler
  • Neil Wagner: Pace bowler