Image by Getty ImagesMark Greatbatch has ridiculed his team publicly about their performance in the recently-concluded Bangladesh series. He has set the expectations so low that whatever the team does in the forthcoming series will be a bonus. It is now expected that the Indians will whitewash the Kiwis in the 3-test series. In fact, the coach is not looking at a win at all - they would consider a draw (2 of them, as Greatbatch mentioned) to be a 'moral win'. But, the question on one's mind is whether Greatbatch is qualified enough to coach the team? Why not change to Stephen Fleming, who has proved himself on the IPL scene?
With this public lashing, what will be the morale of the team? How will it affect the team spirit before they reach the Indian soil? In fact, if one looks at the history of NZ test cricket, there is hardly a series where they have played with their full-strength team. They have been the under-dogs in every series, which has suited them just fine. After the recent series debacle, the Kiwis will be raring to go. They will be looking to catch the Indians by surprise. There is news that McCullum might bat higher in the lineup to shore the batting which seems to be the weakest in the eleven - whether this will help them remains to be seen.
The Indians must ensure that they are not complacent in the test series for that is when the NZ team can be most dangerous. If they play as well as they did against the Oz, the whitewash result is a foregone conclusion. My take will be a 2-0 win for India - maybe rain will prevent the whitewash in one of the test matches. Let us wait and watch. What is your prediction?
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