New Delhi: India's players could face challenging conditions when their T20I series in New Zealand begins, with matches scheduled to start at 8 pm amid near-darkness and temperatures expected to hover around 10 degrees Celsius, according to former Mumbai Indians fielding coach James Pamment.

International teams have rarely toured New Zealand this early in the summer in recent years, Pamment pointed out. The former Black Caps assistant coach, who recently completed a stint as fielding coach with the Bangladesh senior men's team, believes the unfamiliar conditions could pose a challenge for the Indian side.

"Yes, it is very early in the New Zealand cricketing summer, so it's almost unparalleled, really. I can think of the top of my head over the last few years where international teams have been in New Zealand at this time of year, but certainly not India.

"Yes, it will be a bit of a shock for the Indian boys, when they do get here and be involved in the conditions, especially in the T20 games. They start at 8pm New Zealand standard time.

“So it's going to be almost dark in most of the venues at that time, and it will be, I guess, around the 10 degrees mark. It'll be cold, there will be dew, and I think the conditions will certainly suit seam bowling for those T20 fixtures," Pamment told IANS in an exclusive conversation.

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New Zealand's players will also have limited preparation ahead of the series, which begins before the country's domestic season gets underway. However, Pamment believes the hosts may be somewhat better equipped to handle the conditions.

"It's the same for both teams, and I guess the New Zealand boys will probably be a little bit more used to it. But we haven't had any domestic cricket this season yet in New Zealand.

“So for this series to be starting before domestic cricket starts is quite unique. Obviously a lot of the boys are playing in different leagues around the world, and a number of them have been on A tours as well.

"So it's not like they're shy of cricket, but it's playing in these types of conditions and getting used to those times I think will be the biggest challenge, and you can tell how New Zealand think about the wickets and conditions, because they've picked eight seamers in their squad of 16 for the T20Is. It means they think that seam bowling is going to play a large part in the series," added Pamment.

New Zealand pitches could offer a more even contest

India, the reigning T20 World Cup champions, recently played a home T20I series against the West Indies that ended in a 2-2 draw. Asked how New Zealand's pitches might compare with the batting-friendly surfaces in that series, Pamment predicted a more balanced contest between bat and ball.

"New Zealand's been very good at preparing good cricket wickets for their T20 fixtures over the last few years. While it will benefit some seam bowling, we know with the white ball that if you use it really wisely in the first three-four overs, you can gain a bit of traction in the game.

"But if you don't use it well, the wickets will be conducive to shot making, but there will obviously be a little bit more assistance than I guess the wickets that the Indian team played against the West Indies in your home country. They've been pretty flat surfaces and very batsmen dominant, whereas there'll be more of a contest between bowler and batter in these games here right through."

Fielding could be India's biggest challenge

Pamment believes fielding could be a major area of concern for India, with cold weather, dew and variations in lighting across venues potentially making it difficult for players to adapt.

He stressed the importance of familiarising themselves with the conditions at each ground, particularly when teams have limited time to train at match venues during packed international schedules.

"There's nothing like spending time at a venue to get used to the conditions. It's certainly going to be dewy, cold, and obviously, the light situation is very different from venue to venue.

“I know they'll use four different venues in the T20 series with Hagley having two games, and you just can't be spending time preparing. But these days, these guys don't get much time to go and train at a venue, as pretty much you arrive two days out, train one day out, and then you play, and move on.

“So they have to be very confident in their basics. But different venues come with different variables, and it's very difficult to get used to it, and I certainly when I was involved in the IPL with Mumbai Indians, I used to really try and encourage guys, especially if they haven't played at those venues before, to try and replicate what they were likely to experience in the game the following evening.

“So it's just to get to know your fielding position, how the ball runs towards you if it's coming on the ground, and get used to the flat catches that come at different levels, and obviously, the high catches when they leave and come back into the light towers," he explained.

Pamment drew on his experience with Bangladesh during last year's Asia Cup in Dubai, which India won, to highlight how unfamiliar stadium lighting can affect fielding performances.

"It's going to be really important that if guys want to be competent fielders, they do that type of work so that they don't let the team down.

“To be honest, I haven't really seen too many of the performances, I've seen the scorecards of the Indians. I know they've had a change of coach recently with their fielding specific responsibilities.

“Obviously I was with Bangladesh this time last year when they were at the Asia Cup, and they really struggled with the stadium there in Dubai, where the lights around the edge of the grandstand rather than the towers. So it's all about practising and getting used to sighting the ball nice and early and then backing yourself.

“These guys are all very competent fielders, but sometimes concentration and confidence can impact on performance, and definitely if the fielding conditions are challenging, so it's a wet ball and slippery ground, then that can impact on their performance as well."

Strong ticket sales raise expectations

Despite the challenging weather conditions, the series is expected to draw sizeable crowds, with more than 85,000 tickets reportedly sold for the multi-format series.

Pamment said the venues should be ready to host cricket, noting that some grounds in New Zealand have traditionally been used for both rugby and cricket.

"Let's see, all the grounds are in previous years in New Zealand, we used to have venues that were rugby grounds as well as cricket grounds, and there's only one of those grounds - maybe two actually, that have been used for the T20 series.

“But rugby's long finished in those venues - so they will be ready to host cricket and certainly the interest is incredible for this time of the year as well. A lot of people have been buying tickets in advance.

“So it's going to be very well patronised, and let's just hope that the cricket is there to be entertained as well. Two fantastic teams, and we just need, obviously, the conditions to be conducive for them to showcase their skills. So it'll be very interesting," concluded Pamment. (IANS)