@Godder said in Black Caps tour of India:
I think Guptill, KW, Taylor, M Crowe, Hadlee and Vettori are certainties.
McCullum is a certainty but can either be a keeper and bat 6 or 7, or an opener. If opening, could make him keep anyway or select Smith as keeper and #9 batter (good SR, would be useful late).
If McCullum is 6 or 7, Astle is probably the next best opener. If McCullum opens, C Cairns could play and bat 6.
Bond and Boult round out a nice 11, but could be tricky deciding who opens the bowling with Hadlee.
NZ has a proud history of very good guys who have busted out a match winning innings or bowling spell here and there. Cairns, Harry, Oram, Styris, Elliot.....to more recent guys like Santner, Neesh, Bracewell and Phillips.......but here's the thing. If everyone is available in my mythical team I can't find a spot for Cairns, his overall figures just aren't quite good enough. Assuming McCullum keeps and bats seven I reckon I'd stack the top order with big scorers like Guptill, Astle, KW, Taylor, Crowe and Mitchell ( I believe this bunch speaks for itself with no glaring omissions ) with Astle, Crowe and Mitchell sharing the 10 overs that the specialists don't bowl between them.
This of course assumes that Paddles, Bond and Boult tear through the batting line up and Vettori contains, frustrates and gets wickets too. Two very handy extra batting options here as well.