Gavaskar and Ashwin Warn India About New Zealand Test Challenge

India face a demanding examination of their batting technique and fast-bowling depth during their upcoming tour of New Zealand, with former captain Sunil Gavaskar emphasizing patience against swing and seam movement. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also identified the tour as an important assessment of the team's readiness for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with the international program beginning October 22, 2026.

According to The Times of India, India will play five Twenty20 internationals from October 22 to November 1, followed by five one-day internationals from November 4 to 15 and two Tests from November 19 to December 1. Gavaskar expects weather conditions, particularly overcast skies and the possibility of rain, to influence the Test series.

India's previous Test tour of New Zealand in February-March 2020 ended in a 0-2 defeat. The visitors recorded totals of 165, 191, 242 and 124 across the two matches, highlighting the difficulties they encountered against the hosts' bowling attack.

Gavaskar recommended that India's batters adopt an approach similar to the one required in England, allowing them more time to assess movement after the ball pitches.

"Like in England, you try and play as late as possible. Don't commit yourself too much, because that gives you the chance to cover the movement off the pitch," Gavaskar said.

He explained that movement after pitching can be particularly difficult to handle because batters have less time to react than they do when the ball swings through the air.

"When there is movement in the air, you can see it and react. But after pitching, the movement happens very close to the bat. The later you play, the better your chances of scoring runs and defending the good ball.

Don't push at the ball. Defend with soft hands, not hard hands."

Gavaskar also questioned the decision to schedule only two Tests, arguing that longer series provide a more reliable way to determine which team performs better.

"Ideally, there should be a minimum of three Tests. Two Tests don't always give you a result. One team could win one match and the other team the next. A third Test gives you a better opportunity to win a series," he said.

India's extended stay in New Zealand before the Test matches could help players adjust to the time difference, according to Gavaskar. The team will already have completed five T20Is and five ODIs before the two-match Test series begins.

"One of the biggest problems in New Zealand is getting your body clock used to the time difference. It takes a really long time for your sleep and waking hours to adjust. The Indian team being there already is going to be a big plus," Gavaskar said.

He cautioned that early-summer conditions could create difficulties before batters settle into their innings.

"There will be a fair bit of grass, cooler weather and the possibility of rain. The ball will move in the air and after pitching, so it won't be easy. But once you settle down, these can be some of the best pitches to bat on. I'm hoping our batters get going," he said.

Gavaskar also expressed confidence in India's pace attack, highlighting Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as players capable of challenging New Zealand's batters.

"With Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack and Mohammed Siraj around, we have the capability of surprising the New Zealand batting unit. We've got a good team. As with everything, you need a little bit of luck," he said.

In an interview published by The Economic Times on October 13, Ashwin described the tour as a major challenge for India, pointing to New Zealand's experienced seam attack and familiarity with home conditions. He also stressed the importance of India's results in the World Test Championship standings.

"I think keeping the WTC in mind itself is a wrong approach because the team has gone through quite a lot; it has been in transition. They gave a decent account of themselves in England. And then we had a couple of tough home series [India lost 0-3 vs New Zealand and 0-2 vs South Africa].

These are terrains that are generally very difficult for most teams. But India has got enough talent to bounce back out of these situations. It will be a very challenging tour.

We need to win both the Tests to keep our chances alive in the WTC table. And to me, if India can come away with a positive result, it will be quite remarkable because even one Test win would be a success for India. If they win two, it will be remarkable.

This is probably the biggest and most exciting series that India are going to be playing this year. Seeing the Indian Test team on New Zealand shores is very exciting for me as a cricket fanatic and a fan of the game," Ashwin said.

Ashwin also identified the upcoming ODI matches as an opportunity to evaluate India's fast-bowling resources ahead of the next 10 months of preparation. He highlighted Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to the T20 setup and the importance of monitoring the fitness and availability of India's pace options.

"The ODI series will also shed a lot of light on our fast bowling resources. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is making a comeback in the T20 setup. So, I think there will be eyes on him as to how he's going to go about his business and where his fitness is at.

So there are a lot of interesting storylines for us. Our fast bowling reserve alongside Jasprit Bumrah needs to be shored up for the next 10 months. So it will be very interesting to watch.

Lots of talking points, and a lot of players will be under the microscope," Ashwin said.

He argued that modern players generally have more exposure to overseas conditions than previous generations because of regular international tours and development assignments. However, he maintained that experience alone would not eliminate the challenge posed by New Zealand's bowlers.

"No, look, I think inexperience is a word that's loosely used, and I don't think it's very pertinent these days because the current generation of players play a lot of cricket and there have been a lot of series on which they've toured [New Zealand]. For example, before the last Australian tour, India were on an ‘A’ tour there. We consistently have these exchange tours, which make sure that the players have a lot more exposure than they ever had before.

Having toured those places, they will have first-hand experience in terms of what to expect. So the shadow tours will make a lot of difference. And even on this tour, they is going to be an ‘A’ tour before they get into their Test series.

And most of the batters will have experience of having played in those conditions. The old adage about having inexperienced players in these conditions doesn't really make sense nowadays. But that said, coming up against an experienced New Zealand side will be where the challenge lies," he said.

Ashwin singled out New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry as a player whose fitness could significantly influence the hosts' attack. He also identified Wellington as a demanding venue for the Test matches and expected the limited-overs pitches to offer comparatively favorable batting conditions, with some early seam movement.

"New Zealand's got a very, very good seam attack. If I am on the Indian team management side, I'd be watching very closely how Matt Henry progresses. He's had some injury challenges in the past.

And if Henry is going to be in prime condition and fit for this series, New Zealand will have a very, very potent seam attack. Wellington will be a very interesting challenge for India to take on in the Test matches. Whereas, in the white-ball leg, I expect the wickets to be really flat, with a little bit of seam movement early on.

And that's where India will have a lot to think about with respect to how their seam attack looks," Ashwin said.

He considered New Zealand the stronger side entering the Tests because of its understanding of home conditions and ability to manage the ball on surfaces offering movement. Ashwin also noted that Australia has been a particularly difficult opponent for New Zealand when playing overseas, while the hosts have generally traveled successfully against other teams.

"New Zealand don’t just have a psychological edge over India. I think they start this Test series as favourites. They've been a quality side.

Apart from travelling to Australia, they've travelled reasonably well and successfully against most of the other teams. Australia have been the Achilles' heel for New Zealand when it comes to travelling for Test series. I think the pace and bounce really get to them.

But in New Zealand conditions, where there is a bit of nibble [off the pitch], they have a fair amount of understanding of how to go about pacing a game and how exactly to maintain the ball to get the best out of those surfaces. Those are the things that will really give New Zealand the edge," he said.

Ashwin also discussed Prasidh Krishna's development, noting improvements in his bowling lengths and performances in Sri Lanka and England. He said maintaining fitness throughout a Test series would be essential for the fast bowler's contribution to India.

"I think Prasidh has done reasonably well. He had a good series in Sri Lanka as well as in England. His lengths have gotten slightly fuller.

The challenge for Prasidh is to stay fit and be able to get through Test series for India. I don't think breaking down in between really helps his or the team's cause in any way. So, keeping him on the park will also be the medical team's job.

And along with that, Prasidh will have to find a way to keep himself on the park for longer durations because he's a very talented fast bowler. We'll have to give him time to see how well he starts yielding results for the team," Ashwin said.

In comments reported by The Telegraph on October 18, Ashwin described the New Zealand tour as a useful benchmark for India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. He said challenging pitches could reveal where the team needs to improve its approach and squad structure.

"I think it's probably one of the closest tests we might have going into the ODI World Cup next year. New Zealand have a really good seam attack. It is probably the closest we'll get...

I know South Africa can have a lot steeper bounce and pace than New Zealand, but this is probably a closer litmus test. I'd be looking forward to New Zealand posing us challenges with some challenging pitches," Ashwin said.

He added that the quality of the surfaces would determine how much India could learn from the series before the tournament.

"If they do give us challenging pitches, it'll be very exciting for us, and we will know where we stand going into that World Cup, where we need to address, what we need to reboot, how we need to restructure our squads and how we can prepare. So it will be very exciting, but make no mistake, it'll be a litmus test for us," he said.

Ashwin also highlighted the importance of India's experienced batters in the ODI leg, particularly Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, while expressing confidence in Shubman Gill's recent form. He said understanding local conditions is difficult to transfer between players, making previous experience valuable.

"...Virat and Rohit have very good white-ball experience there, and I think Virat has runs there in the Test format as well. Both of them have a lot of experience, and the team can lean on them. With Shubman Gill also in good form, I expect him to continue that form in the white-ball leg.

New Zealand will pose challenges in the white-ball formats with how well they understand their conditions. Understanding conditions is very hard to tell someone, because how I understand it is not how someone else will... That's why we always talk about experience," Ashwin said.

Ashwin also cautioned that wind could complicate India's plans for its spinners in New Zealand. Meanwhile, a report published by Mid-Day on October 21 highlighted Gavaskar's belief that India's top four could score heavily if the weather remains favorable, although cloudy skies and swing would test their technique and resilience.