India's five-match T20I series against New Zealand begins October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Indian squad was named on October 6 with Shreyas Iyer as captain. Wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has returned after recovering from a side strain sustained during the Afghanistan T20I series in September. The injury had ruled him out of the one-off game against Japan and the Asian Games.
Chakravarthy carries strong form into the series, having picked 75 wickets in 49 games. Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond has assessed the threat posed by the Indian spinner ahead of the opening match, speaking to media about the challenges New Zealand's batters will face.
"It's good to see Chakravarthy back in. He's something that's completely different and unique. Quality bowler, I've seen so much of him in the IPL and he's been such a stalwart for KKR. He's just so different and because of the bounce here in New Zealand too, he'll be awkward to deal with," said Bond as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Bond acknowledged that spin bowling remains a crucial element of India's attack despite conditions expected to favour pace bowling. He noted that both India and New Zealand possess quality spinners who will play important roles throughout the series.
"India have always just had great frontline spin bowlers. So the two teams have got quality across both sides and those spinners battles with Santner obviously for New Zealand and the likes of Chakravarthy for India are still important even in conditions that you think are going to favour fast bowling," he added.
Sooryavanshi puts fear in other teams: Shane Bond
Since India's T20I series win over Zimbabwe in July, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has featured in just two matches during the gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games in Japan. India have largely preferred Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as their first-choice opening pair. Bond also acknowledged the stiff competition Sooryavanshi faces in securing a place in the playing XI.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Vaibhav. He's just such an incredible talent, and he's a great kid as well. It's awesome for him to be travelling with the Indian team and he deserves his spot in the side. He was the standout player in the IPL this year. He was just sensational, and it's hard to ignore that sort of talent, not only the talent, but the production of shots from him and what a devastating player he can be," said Bond.
"He's earned his spot, but there are some quality players in that squad and for Vaibhav to be coming to play in a place like New Zealand, experiencing the training conditions, everything that goes with being here, I'd be hoping that he would come on a number of tours here and play some games. But even if he doesn't, he's better prepared for the next time, as he knows what he's walking into. He's such a good player. He's one of those players who puts fear into other teams and part of him is just, again, adapting to conditions that are slightly different. But he's so good, there's no doubt that he'll do that and the New Zealand public will be really excited to see him play and I hope he's playing on Thursday night," he added.
