When Sachin Tendulkar stepped on the AMI Stadium turf on the eve of the tours opening T20 game,he would have been reminded of the December of 2002. Back then,too,Indias tour of New Zealand had started with the games diet version. Long before T20 got global recognition,New Zealand had a home-grown format that went by the name of Super Max,which was 10-overs-a side and had its own set of innovative rules. Tendulkar,who will not play the T20 matches on this tour,had,with a 27-ball 72,helped India to victory in what was the only bright moment of a forgettable trip for the visitors. The Super Max format,conceived by former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe,did not pick up but the initiative gave a glimpse of his inventiveness and understanding of the games future course. During his playing days,Crowe had shocked the world by his out-of-the-box tactics during the 1992 World Cup. Since that tournament,New Zealand have been known as the team with a knack of surprising their opponents and making optimum use of the talent at their disposal. Always a flexible unit with a number of all-rounders in their line-up,the Black Caps are dark horses who can never be taken lightly,especially in the shorter versions of the game. The excitement in New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettoris voice was almost tangible as the tour was set to begin with a format in which they fancy their chances. It is pretty exciting; the first chance for the New Zealand public to see this Indian team in action. We have in our ranks players such as Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor at the top of the order,which means a lot of runs are going to be scored. Itll be a good game, he said. Even Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni,the T20 World Cup-winning captain,knows New Zealands potential. New Zealand are known for playing as a team. They dont depend on one individual and they have a good bunch of players. They believe in contributing,they take pride in their fielding,which is so important in limited-overs cricket. Its not going to be easy, he said.
