New Zealand's stand-in coach Ashley Ross will be flying in to Chennai along with video analyst Zach Hitchcock to observe the Indian players in action during the Irani Cup match.
As the September 18-22 match between Ranji champions Mumbai and Rest of India will feature all the leading Indian cricketers, including captain Sourav Ganguly, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, it provides an opportunity for Ross to have a look at what to expect on the upcoming tour.
"It would help to confirm the strategies to be employed," Ross said.
The New Zealand players are in an eight-day camp in Brisbane in preparation for the tour and will return to their homes for three days before flying out to India on September 21 for the two-match Test series and a triangular one-day tournament also involving Australia.
Ross told the Wisden CricInfo website that the Kiwis had outstanding preparation, which included a four-day training in Christchurch in alien conditions. The New Zealanders were able to practise in outdoor nets, on pitches that had been used before the side went to Sri Lanka earlier in the year. The preparation has continued in Brisbane in temperatures around 31 degrees. That was in contrast to Christchurch where ice was found on the covers one morning, he said.
"They can spend their warm-up time in India getting used to the conditions and the speed and lengths they will have to bowl at, without having to worry about their laoding," Ross said.