ICC World Cup 2019 | India are one of the stronger sides in the tournament, says Ross Taylor

The New Zealand cricket team led by Kane Williamson will enter the ICC World Cup 2019 as ‘underdogs’ as they always do when they enter any international competition. Having finished as runners-up in the last edition of the World Cup losing to Australia in the finals, the Black Caps will hope to prove their doubters wrong and lay their hands on a first-ever World Cup trophy in the coming weeks.

Ross Taylor, who is the senior-most batsman in the Kiwi team, admitted that it will be a tough challenge for his team as they head into the final stages of preparation for the global showpiece. Taylor labelled India as ‘favourites’ and added that playing them in a warm-up game will be good practice for the Kiwi squad.

"The game against India on the 25th would be a great preparation. They are one of the stronger sides and are favourites going into the tournament. It will be good for us to go out there and have a good hit out as a team.

"The format, with everyone playing everybody, similar to the 1992 World Cup, is pretty exciting and a pretty fair reflection, I think. If you see at World Cups going around in all major sports, it's more of a pool-type scenario," Taylor was quoted as saying by the ICC.

The experienced Kiwi batsman added that his team must be prepared to adapt to whatever conditions await them in England. 

"You don't have to go too far back to the Champions Trophy, when a lot of people talked about big scores and there weren't a lot at that tournament. You've just got to be flexible, there will be times when the bowlers dominate and the batters will dominate as well. You've got to be prepared for anything and adapt accordingly," Taylor added.