NEW DELHI: New Zealand are not getting ahead of themselves by thinking about the T20 World Cup, which is still a month away, and are instead concentrating on the immediate task of taking on India’s bowlers in the upcoming white-ball series, batsman Daryl Mitchell said on Wednesday.

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the squad, India are set to host the Kiwis in a three-match ODI series starting Sunday, followed by a five-match T20I series.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka.

Focus firmly on the present challenge

“We’ll look at the T20 World Cup in a month’s time. For now we’ll worry about playing an ODI series against India, and they’ve got some pretty good bowlers themselves with the likes of Bumrah and Chakravarthy,” Mitchell told the media here during New Zealand Cricket Golf Day organized with TCM Sports here.

“A really key value for us as the New Zealand credit team is being where out feet are and that means being in the present and what the challenge is at that moment.

“That’s the exciting thing is we got three ODIs against the world-class Indian team in Indian conditions in front of full crowds. So we’ll be where our feet are. We’ll control the now and we’ll look forward to the World Cup in a month,” he added.

Interestingly, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy are not part of the ODI squad but are expected to feature in the T20I series.

Drawing from past experience in India

Mitchell said his past exposure to Indian conditions will help him deal with the challenge of spin bowling.

“I’ve been playing international cricket for a little while now and as a part of playing international cricket you have to adapt to different conditions all around the world,” he said.

“It’s a great challenge when you come into these parts. As a New Zealander, you don’t grow up on surfaces like this. So I’ll be able to draw on experiences that I’ve had in the last few years and take on the positives such as the ODI World Cup in 2023,” he added.

New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls said touring India can act as a major motivation for younger players, especially with the lure of the IPL, but stressed the importance of staying grounded.

Big stage, simple approach for youngsters

“There’s not many places around the world they have the same excitement and passion that the fans here do. We’ve got some fresh guys in the squad as well who haven’t experienced it,” he said.

“Anytime we play for New Zealand, there’s a lot of pride and we want to compete and play really well. There’s a couple of new faces and for them coming over here and playing against India in their own conditions will be invaluable.”

“I’m sure there’ll be an absolute carrot, but again, the interest when you play over here certainly from the fans, but also around the world, that’s what you want to test yourself against is the best team in their own conditions and that sort of challenge we have in front of us,” he added.

Nicholls said it will be crucial for the younger members of the squad to avoid overthinking and stick to their roles.

“(It can be) overload at times, but as we always talk about in the group, as BlackCaps it’s about is keeping it really simple and guys knowing what their role role is and in doing that as best you can,” he said.

“And accepting a bit of the outer noise and actually enjoying it as well. I say there’s not many places you play in the world that has the level of interest and excitement as when you play a game in India at these grounds with the fans,” he added.

Nicholls, who has previously toured India, admitted there is limited information available about the venues for the opening two ODIs in Vadodara and Rajkot.

“Yeah, not too much. I played (in) Indore last time. We’re here in the one-day series, so this is quite a high scoring game,” he said.

“But anytime you go around the world it’s about assessing those conditions and grounds. Especially in India, the grounds sizes and outfield and stuff like that can affect the scores,” he said.

(With PTI Inputs)