Tom Latham: Taming spinners Yadav and Chahal key to New Zealand's ODI hopes in India

Spin bowling is expected to play a big part in the upcoming three-match series, and Latham has revealed how much focus has been spent on facing spin.

Tom Latham prepared for the ODI series by scoring a century against India A in Mumbai on Thursday. Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo

New Zealand's batsmen know they will have to subdue India's spinners if they are to have any chance of winning their three-match one-day international series starting on Sunday.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and right-arm leg break Yuzvendra Chahal have established themselves as India's latest attacking combination, keeping veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja out of the team.

New Zealand batsman Tom Latham said the visitors were leaving no stone unturned in seeking a way to counter the Indian pair, who come into the series in the best form of their careers.

________________________________

Read more:

• Pakistan v Sri Lanka: Hafeez can bowl in Sharjah despite reported action

• Dougie Brown: Positive despite UAE's route to 2019 Cricket World Cup

• Mike Hesson: New Zealand must adapt quickly in India

________________________________

"Our focus is big on spin here. We are focusing on facing more spin than seam here and finding ways to score, to hit gaps and find boundaries," Latham told reporters in Mumbai.

The left-handed Latham said the Kane Williamson-led New Zealanders had taken note of Yadav and Chahal's recent performances.

Yadav, 22, has quickly emerged as one of the world's best slow bowlers since taking four wickets in his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala in March.

He also played a big role in India's recent 4-1 ODI series victory over Australia, taking a hat-trick in the second match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

He has been well supported by 27-year-old Chahal, who tormented the Australians with his deceptive leg spinners to bag six wickets in four matches.

Kuldeep Yadav, second left, has burst onto the scene for India, taking a hat-trick against Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Adnan Abidi / Reuters

"We obviously know that they (Kuldeep and Chahal) are quality bowlers and they have done really well in the previous series," Latham was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Latham has been in good form himself, compiling a quickfire 108 in New Zealand's 33-run win over an Indian Board President's XI in the visitors' second and final warm-up match in Mumbai.

New Zealand, ranked fifth in the world, have drafted in leg-spinner Ish Sodhi as a replacement for Todd Astle, who has been ruled out of Sunday's match at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium after picking up a groin injury in the warm-up game.

Yuzvendra Chahal, right, took six wickets in four matches during India's ODi series win over Australia. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo

The hosts, second in the ODI rankings, are expected to complement the two spinners with fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Virat Kohli's India, which swept the three-match Test series against New Zealand last year, can regain the top ODI spot from South Africa if they win the series 3-0.

The second ODI takes place in Pune on Wednesday, with the third in Kanpur on October 29. The two sides will then play three T20 matches.