The Black Caps have been set one of the hardest tasks in world cricket.
They have to find a way to beat India in their conditions.
And this time there is no nipping home after two quick tests — they are playing in a three-match series for a change.
The enormous challenge, which begins today in Bengaluru, has come a little late for the Black Caps.
They are a fading power. They reached their peak three years ago with victory over India in the World Test Championship final in Southampton.
Since that glorious eight-wicket win, they have lost the services of Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme.
Kyle Jamieson is out for a year with a stress fracture. Kane Williamson has a groin strain and has remained home in New Zealand. He might join them later in the series depending on how the rehabilitation goes.
Of the players who remain from the World Test Championship final, none has been in particularly good form.
Openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway are a little short on runs, Henry Nicholls has fallen out of favour with the selectors and Tim Southee’s spot in the bowling lineup is under pressure.
Southee stood down as captain before the series which indicates he might not see a lot of action during the tour.
The Black Caps have been stripped bare. But Ravindra is the great hope.
The Wellington-born left-hander has form in the land where his family hails from.
He was a force at the 2023 World Cup, clouting 578 runs at an average of 64.22 and he had his moments in the IPL this year.
Ravindra gave a measured but upbeat response when asked if that success gave him confidence ahead of the test series.
"It gives you confidence that you can perform in this part of the world, although conditions will most likely be different," he said.
"I think it’s a different challenge entirely and it’s something I’m really looking forward to and, you know, it’s always special to come back to India and play.
"As you’ve seen, those two tournaments were amazing, the crowds and the passion and the hype and the buzz around them, so I’m excited to have a fully fledged rematch series here."
New Zealand have won just two of their 36 tests in India.
The last win was in 1988 when Richard Hadlee picked up his ninth and final 10-wicket bag.
"Obviously we know how good India are in their own conditions, the quality of their bowlers, the quality of their batters," Ravindra said.
"They’ve grown up in these conditions, you know, and it shows how hard it is for a team to come and win here."
The Black Caps have had a decent build-up in the sense they were in similar conditions in Sri Lanka. While they lost that series 2-0, they showed some promise in the first test and Ravindra said they are hopefully better for it.
"The group has grown together quite well and we’ve all had that experience, so hopefully we can put together a strong fight.
"I think we did some really good stuff during the Sri Lankan series as well, obviously came out on the wrong side of the win and loss column there.
"But ... there were times where we actually really pushed and that first test was close and we played the way we wanted to in certain moments.
"We’ve got to understand that we’ve got to do it for long periods of time because that’s what test match cricket is about."
First test
Bengaluru, 5pm today
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, Will O’Rourke, Tim Southee, Jacob Duffy, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav.
