Weather a big worry for NZ

Ranked ninth in the ICC Women’s Championship, very little separates New Zealand from India who are just a rung and point below. The two teams will be locking horns in a five-match ODI series starting Sunday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and White Ferns’ skipper Suzie Bates said it’s a huge series for both the teams.

“This series is massive for both teams,” said Bates at a press conference here on Thursday. “We’ve talked as a group about how important not just the first three games -- which count for points in the ICC Women’s Championship -- but the whole five ODIs and the three T20Is.

“We want to win both the series and win well. So there’s a huge emphasis on making sure we stay consistent throughout the whole tour. The first three games are hugely important for qualification (for women’s World Cup). We know India are tough in their own conditions and they’ll be wanting to get points as well.”

One of the main challenges that the New Zealand women will be encountering in Bengaluru where they will be playing five ODIs and three T20Is is the drastic change in weather, having come from zero degree temprature back home. Despite that, Bates said they are prepared well to cope with the hot weather here. “The last time we played them was in 2013 in a warm-up game for the World Cup. We knew coming over here out of our winter that we'd have to do a lot of work in these conditions. So we've come over earlier, had 10 days of preparation and play warm-up game tomorrow (Friday).

“We knew we had to get over here as early as we could, get used to the conditions, get used to the heat. Where I'm from it's zero degree so it's been a change for some of us. Just adapting as much as we can just before we play the first match.”

Haidee Tiffen, who will be making her coaching debut with the team in this series, said sticking to the basics is important to achieve success.

“I think obviously sticking to your plan. You need to stay tight as a unit and support each other throughout. It’s not always easy playing in India. Conditions wise, just learning to apply yourself in the heat is a big challenge. The key is to keep things simple and not over dramatise oneself. We love touring India.

“Coming from a very cold winter, it’s nice to get some sunshine. As international cricketers, we want to play cricket as often as we can. We want to play against the best in various conditions. India has got some world class players. Like I said, we want to be an improving side, correct all the mistakes. We are fighting to be the best in the world. We are loving the opportunity of just coming and playing here.”