The last time India played a Test match, January-end at Adelaide, they were humiliated by a relatively rookie Australian side in the process of being rebuilt. The 298-run loss also meant Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team went Down Under 0-4, an embarrassing result for men considered favourites before the battle had begun. Their minds would surely be scarred after the crushing losses away but relief comes in the form of a new season beginning at home, against an opposition that has been travelling poorly of late.

India and New Zealand kick off the two-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, both hoping for a turnaround in Test fortunes. The Kiwis have a tougher task, coming as they are after losing both their Tests by huge margins - 9 and 5 wickets respectively - in the West Indies earlier this month. They’ve brought some fresh faces along nevertheless and hope to make a new beginning.

The visitors have oiled their machine a bit and overhauled their starters — Brendon McCullum has been promoted to open the innings and provide the spark along with Martin Guptill. The former’s attacking instincts are only well-known and the hosts would do well to remember that McCullum had smashed a double century the last time he played at the same venue (Test in 2010) and brace up for a possible blast from the man nicknamed Bazooka.

Guptill for his part, has been most consistent on the recent Windies tour, averaging a splendid 69.25 as he scored three successive half-centuries — 97, 67, 71 — and missed the fourth by eight runs.

However, the Kiwis don’t appear batting heavy with captain Ross Taylor, Daniel Flynn, Neil Wagner and Kane Williamson to follow.

On the other hand, the Indian batting line-up, despite the absence of two stalwarts in the middle order in Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, has too much muscle. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina and Dhoni are names that are not music to the bowlers’ ears.
The last time Tendulkar played a Test here, he was burdened by the weight of expectation to get that 50th Test century — he fell for an unlucky 13 in the only innings he had the chance to bat.

This time around (with 100 international tons — 51 in Tests, 49 in ODIs — against his name) he is absolutely relaxed, evident from his spirited session of comical stunts to amuse his teammates near the wicket on Tuesday followed by dinner at the just-retired Laxman’s place and chilling out at an ice-cream parlour late at night. This is also the first time the Maestro will be in action after becoming a Member of Parliament. He is sure to hold a full house.

Talking about bowling, Dhoni would be tempted to go with a three-pronged spin attack with R. Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Piyush Chawla providing ample variety to confuse the Kiwis. Zaheer Khan and either Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav could share the new ball duties.

New Zealand will rely on Chris Martin, Doug Bracewell and James Franklin’s pace but have packed some tweakers — offies Kane Williamson and Jeetan Patel, and leg-spinner Tarun Nethula. The absence of wily veteran Daniel Vettori, out with a groin injury picked up on the recent West Indies tour, could hurt them badly though.

MSD ready for Test with young guns

When M.S. Dhoni’s team take the field on Thursday in the first Test against New Zealand at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, they will not have the services of veterans VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. The Indian skipper felt that the duo, who were part of 298 Tests in total, will definitely be missed.

“They (Dravid and Laxman) were two of our great players and we will miss them on the field. However, it's an opportunity for the youngsters to grab the opportunity and do well,” Dhoni said.

Laxman and Dravid’s contribution to the game was not restricted to their exploits with the willows alone. The duo possessed a safe pair of hands at the slips too. Dhoni sounded confident that Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli would man the slip cordon. “We have players like Kohli, Raina and Sehwag who are already fielding at the slips. We have seen the youngsters catch the ball really well. Sehwag most likely will stand at the first slip,” Dhoni said.

“With the spinners, there might be an issue. It’s challenge when there is bounce. We will miss Rahul over there. But let’s look ahead and hope one of the youngsters utilises this chance,” he added.

Dhoni felt that his side was ready to move on from the twin debacle in England and Australia. “We never get desperate because that puts extra burden on the team. We are more concerned about the process than the results,” Dhoni said.