Ind NZ ODI 4 Preview: NZ Have an Uphill Climb, India Rejoice Being on a Roll

Don't let the smiles fool you. New Zealand know they have very little going for them while India are rejoicing bettering their own record. The situation is likely to be no different when India take on New Zealand in Bangalore tomorrow on a 3-0 unassailable lead.

tim southee brendon mccullum

New Zealand are not only battling injuries but also, poor form as they took on India, knowing that any improvement from here on can only improve their confidence in the format that has led them down badly.

Considered tough competitors in the game, New Zealand have let themselves down badly not for want of talent but for want of a strategy, almost pretending to be novices in this format of the game that has traditionally been their forte. While they would have hoped for a better result than the 4-0 loss to Bangladesh prior to this series, their hopes now stand crumbled and in danger of a serious whitewash.

The whitewash, while gut wrenching for the Kiwis, will be some heroism on the part of the Indian cricket team missing many key members including their regular captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Gautam Gambhir has led the team impeccably, himself scoring back to back centuries to ensure emphatic wins for India.

Some of the Indians are also staking a more permanent place in the Indian ODI line up, and one of those prominently is Virat Kohli. The selectors will also hope that the likes of Yuvraj Singh play a greater role before the series is over. Zaheer Khan will get more of a workout following an injury lay off, but Suresh Raina will now have the opportunity to enjoy a change of venue, at the behest of his captain, after being rested for the next two games to join the other members of the Indian team in South Africa.

For the others, it is about booking places for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.