The New Zealand team management knows what lies ahead for their players during the next six weeks in India, and it was no surprise that the spin troika of leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, off-spinner Mark Craig and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner bowled a lot during a two-hour nets session at the Kotla in Delhi on Wednesday.
With New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitting that it will be a tough challenge to play Indian spinners on pitches that are unlikely to be proverbial belters, the Kiwi batsmen spent a lot of time batting against their own spinners as well as the nets bowlers.
In fact, among the nets bowlers, there were more spinners in action at the two dedicated nets for the slow bowlers.
Santner, however, started bowling from the second hour of nets, as Sodhi and Craig were bowling in the spinners' nets.
Craig bowling in the nets with a brand new 'SG Test' ball was an indication that he is in the scheme of things as far as opening the bowling is concerned if the pitches in question start offering turn.
Sodhi was like a workhorse; he bowled for the maximum time.
When Santner came into action in the second hour, he was handed an old ball which looked pretty scuffed up as he did his routines.
The focus on spinners was evident when skipper Williamson, after completion of his batting, started bowling off-breaks.
New Zealand’s skipper has 29 wickets from 52 Test appearances and it will not be surprising if one finds him bowling his tweakers on rank turners.
Pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult also hit the straps pretty soon while left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner was bowled with an old ball.
The emphasis was certainly on reverse swing, considering the pitch at Green Park is abrasive.
