India vs New Zealand | Kane Williamson excited to test bench strength against 'fantastic' India

With senior players like Martin Guptill being ruled out of the squad due to injuries, Williamson emphasized how this series would help him test his bench strength against a top quality Indian side.

“Martin (Guptill) has been ruled out of the series because of a back injury. We have a different squad altogether with some new faces. We are going to see some debutants throughout the series and it is really exciting, It’s a positive thing that a number of guys are getting opportunities to have those experiences against a fantastic Indian side,” the Kiwi skipper said on the eve of the opening T20, reported PTI.

With Martin Guptill already out of the squad due to a back injury, Williamson didn't rule out any possibility of him batting up the order. When asked about what the opening combination might look like in the absence of flamboyant batsman he said, "At this stage, we are going to look at the surface, we are not decided just yet. We are looking to pin down the balance. There are a number of all-rounders which will affect the positions I suppose. There are a number of guys who could potentially fill that role(opening). Obviously (Colin)Munro is expected in the top-three. Power players could potentially move up the order or it could be me”.

While emphasising on the need to balance experienced pacer Tim Southee’s workload going into the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Williamson said, "Tim (Southee) has played a huge amount of cricket. He is a massive part of our side. He is a leader in the group.”

When asked about how things differ going in the mega event this year and playing T20 cricket against a good side like India, Williamson explained, “Obviously it is the shorter version of what we can expect in the World Cup but it is another great opportunity to play international cricket against what is a very strong opposition. Any time you get opportunities to have those experiences it’s always good. It’s (World Cup) not that far away now. Any opportunity you get to play in international cricket is beneficial. It’s (T20s) still an important fixture especially against a competitive side like India. So, I think all the people involved in the series will get a lot out of it.”

While admitting about how things go very tough during adapting from one format to other in quick succession, Williamson said, “It is always a challenge to adapt from Test to ODI to T20. It does require adjustments in mindset. Whether it’s bowling or batting you need to try and adapt quickly. We would look to try and get things right in terms of executing our plans, we want to step up a little bit. Obviously, it’s a different format but it’s exciting that we have a new group.”