Seifert praises Indian pacers’ adaptability ahead of fourth ODI in Mount Maunganui

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert on Thursday praised India’s pace attack and their adjustment to local surfaces ahead of the fourth One-Day International in Mount Maunganui on Friday. Seifert made the remarks after India had taken a 2-0 lead in the series following two low totals conceded by New Zealand in the opening matches.

Seifert pointed to India’s seamers — left-armer Arshdeep Singh and the younger fast bowlers Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi — as a cohesive group despite differing styles. The visitors dismissed New Zealand for 185 and 134 in the first two ODIs, while the third match was washed out, leaving India 2-0 up in the series. The article described the Indian bowlers as maintaining disciplined lines on challenging surfaces and noted the relative inexperience of Kamboj, Brar and Nabi.

Speaking ahead of the fourth game, Seifert offered a rundown of the bowlers’ qualities and their collective effectiveness. "To be honest, they all bowl very well, they all do something slightly different," Seifert said. "Having Arshdeep as a left-hander, I think it's crucial as well. But to be honest, they work well as a unit, they all do something different, but to their credit, they didn't miss much on those wickets (in) the last two games. I think they do a very good job together."

Seifert also credited the Indian pacers for acclimatising to New Zealand conditions despite limited international exposure. "Look, we're playing international cricket, it doesn't necessarily matter who you play, you play Australia, England, they got all those kind of bowlers as well. So, I think to their credit, they've come to New Zealand and adapted to these wickets and hats off to them. "But look, it's not just calling them out, they bowl very well and no matter who you play in international cricket, you've got to adapt to the wicket and the players that you play," he said.

India will be without regular skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul for the final two ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer captaining the side in the format for the first time while Gill and Rahul join the Test squad to prepare for the series beginning November 19. Seifert rejected the notion that those absences hand New Zealand any particular edge, saying: "Oh, look, no matter who India play or whoever we play as well, we're out there for the challenge, and everyone's an international cricketer out there. "So, yeah, whoever steps into their role, they're going to try their best, same with us, whoever steps into the role that the boys have left, everyone's going to try their best as well," he said referring to some changes in the home side due to Test preparations.

New Zealand will make several personnel changes for the remaining ODIs, with Finn Allen, Mitch Hay, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly and Brett Randell drafted in for the last two matches. Those additions follow the departure of Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith and Henry Nicholls, who have joined New Zealand's Test training camp in Wellington.

Seifert framed the series and squad rotation within a broader preparation context, saying the team must balance immediate results with longer-term objectives. "We always look to try and go out there and win every game. Don't get me wrong, you want to look to win every series, but the big picture is obviously the World Cup coming up as well, so it's about, learning, gelling as a team, and there's obviously a few changes as well, so it's giving those guys the opportunity," Seifert said.

On team morale and his own role at the top of the order, Seifert acknowledged the series has presented challenges and described his enjoyment of opening the batting. He said, "...obviously the result hasn't necessarily gone our way, but we've obviously been put in some tricky situations with the wickets as well. So, look, it's a new bunch of guys here, a few guys have left, a new group, so yeah, we're just focusing on the next two games ahead." He added, "Yeah, I've enjoyed it. It's been a while, also opening the batting for the first time. All my other games have been in the middle order, so it's been a new role, which I've enjoyed and hopefully we can win a toss or have a good wicket."