Galle, Perth, Trent Bridge, Johannesburg, Kingston, Rawalpindi, Multan, Adelaide, Headingley, Port-of-Spain, and Kandy. The venues of India's memorable overseas victories in the 21st century include all but one of the major Test nations. New Zealand remains the only country in which India have not won a Test since they became competitive away from the subcontinent. India's solitary Test-series success in New Zealand was four decades ago, their last Test triumph here was in 1976, and their last tour in 2002-03 ended in a disastrous 2-0 rout. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men created history over the last two weeks by winning their first ever one-day series in New Zealand, and another such opportunity lies ahead of them.
The five one-dayers were largely about batsmen trying to hit the ball over the tiny boundaries at New Zealand's small grounds for 50 overs, while the bowlers strove to limit the damage. The Tests, however, require a more durable approach and India's batting has been bolstered by the inclusion of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Both of them have had match practice by playing State Championship matches - Dravid even scored a century for Canterbury - and will temper a batting line-up whose biggest pitfall could be a hangover from the six-a-minute one-day internationals.
The longer format will be a relief for the New Zealand bowlers who failed to quell India's ultra-aggressive batsmen in the ODIs. It is also an opportunity for the hosts to score a rare series victory over a high-profile team. New Zealand's last victory against opposition other than Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or a struggling West Indies was the 1-0 win at home against Sri Lanka in 2004-05.
The hosts have also added new personnel to their Test squad in James Franklin, Chris Martin, Brent Arnel, Tim McIntosh, and Daniel Flynn. Martin Guptill, their ODI and Twenty20 batsman, is preparing to make the transition to the five-day format. Their squad is filled with novices compared to India's wealth of experience. For instance, Sachin Tendulkar has 4458 Test runs more than the entire New Zealand squad put together. A victory against India will be nothing less than a major coup for the hosts.
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