Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has questioned whether New Zealand are a formidable team now in the subcontinental conditions ahead of their three-match Test series against India. He again shared that Kane Williamson’s absence from at least the first Test will further weaken the team as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, said, “Are New Zealand really a threat? They have been the WTC champion, they defeated us only, but is it really a good team? Kane Williamson is also not available for the first match. He might actually end up missing the second game as well. They are not such a good team. If you see their Asia situation, you will feel it’s very bad. When and how much have they won against India? When the last series happened, they did draw the first match for sure and Ajaz Patel picked up 10 wickets in an innings in the second match, but they are not a team that troubles you a lot,” he observed.

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However, New Zealand faced a 2-0 defeat in the recent away Test series against Sri Lanka. They lost the first match by 63 runs and were
thrashed by an innings and 154 runs in the second match as well. In the same video, Aakash Chopra also added that the New Zealand bowlers tend to perform better than expected as well.

“They punch above their weight in bowling. They find ways, whether it’s Tim Southee or William O’Rourke. You can expect him (O’Rourke) to trouble batters but he is a fast bowler. In spin, they have Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra bowls a little. Their spin bowling will be defensive and disciplined,” he said.

“This team comes with a plan and keeps attached to their processes. When you see them bowl, their exact plan is visible. They rarely deviate. If they have a plan to consistently bowl outside the off-stump, then that’s it. If it’s reversing a little, they will pack the leg side. This team’s specialty is discipline in bowling and absolute commitment to a plan. These three centers will suit their batting – Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. The ball comes nicely onto the bat in all these centers, and generally the pitches are easy to bat on. So you can expect a slightly better fight from their batting here, but I think Team India should win,” Aakash Chopra concluded.