New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell has played down any talk of India’s senior stars being on the wane, stressing that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain forces to be reckoned with in ODI cricket. Ahead of the upcoming series, Bracewell said it would be “silly to underestimate” the experienced duo and expressed confidence that both will still be central figures at next year’s ODI World Cup. Kohli and Rohit, now active only in the ODI format for India, are set to return to action in the three-match series starting Sunday in Vadodara, followed by games in Rajkot on January 14 and Indore on January 18. With Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra unavailable, Bracewell will lead the New Zealand side on the tour.
“I’d like to see them play in the World Cup. They’re obviously still playing very good cricket so there’s no reason to stop,” Bracewell said while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the New Zealand Cricket Golf Day at the Willingdon Sports Club. “They’re both playing beautifully, so why not? Their records speak for themselves, both individually and as a team. They’ve been involved in some great Indian sides and led that side with the bat. You’d be silly to underestimate them, that’s for sure,” Bracewell added. Addressing the absence of senior players such as Santner, Bracewell admitted the challenge of filling key roles. “Whenever you’re missing players of say, Mitch Santner’s calibre, you’re always going to be struggling to replace them. You’re never going to be able to replace a guy like that. But if everyone mucks in and does their bit, then hopefully we can all work together and achieve great things on this tour.” Despite the T20 World Cup being just over a month away, Bracewell stressed the relevance of the ODI series. “You have to be where your feet are and take care of what’s in front of you. We’ve obviously got an important one-day series coming up against India,” Bracewell said, highlighting the value of extended time in Indian conditions.
