How India should approach each venue for the T20Is in New Zealand
Auckland, Hamilton, Mount Manuganui and Wellington all pose different challenges in terms of ground dimensions, and pitch and weather conditions
The venue for the first two matches has a wonderful vibe and a good game of cricket is guaranteed to be a spectacle. The straight boundaries are very short (some believe too short for an international game) and that brings the crowd really close to the action.
Hamilton is only an hour and a half's drive from Auckland. Seddon Park has a unique square in that the two pitches on it have radically different surfaces. One offers a lot of lateral movement and a little bit of spongy bounce while the other is fairly flat. The ground's dimensions aren't odd like Eden Park's, but one side becomes a little longer depending on which pitch is on.
The windy capital of New Zealand has two international grounds - the Basin Reserve and the Westpac Stadium. While the Basin still hosts Test cricket, white-ball cricket has moved to the new stadium, where you don't feel the effect of the wind as much. Once in a while high catches swirl a little but the wind velocity and direction, which plays an important role at some grounds, doesn't have much impact at the ground level here; as a batsman, you can target either boundary regardless of which way it is blowing.
This is a beautiful ground in the city of Tauranga, and like most grounds in New Zealand, the stands will be filled with India supporters. The ground is open on all sides and the wind plays a significant role in deciding which end to bowl from and which boundaries to target. Players must try to take advantage of the conditions instead of fighting them - there's no sense in making a 65-yard boundary feel like 85.
Aakash Chopra is the author of three books, the latest of which is The Insider: Decoding the craft of cricket. @cricketaakash