Cricket: Black Caps fine with Greatbatch jibe

Those fearing it would be daggers drawn at dawn can rest easy as the New Zealand cricket team show the sort of thick hide their critics want them to exhibit in the middle.

The players have their heads down and tails up approaching the first test against India starting on Thursday, with barely a backward glance to acknowledge stinging criticism from coach Mark Greatbatch.

The team copped plenty from the wider public after suffering a 0-4 one-day series loss to Bangladesh last month before Greatbatch had his say, deriding his players for playing like "a bunch of dicks" and slamming some of the batsmen for having an inflated opinion of their abilities.

But any concern about the potential for player fallout due to Greatbatch's choice of words has been discounted by both skipper Daniel Vettori and senior batsman Brendon McCullum.

McCullum is thought to be one of the batsmen Greatbatch identified for believing he was better than he actually was, not that the 29-year-old showed any signs of a bruised ego today.

"We suffered some pretty intense criticism which was justified," McCullum told a media conference as interest slowly builds for the test series between the world's best team and No 8-ranked New Zealand.

Vettori echoed McCullum's reaction, saying the issue "hasn't really been discussed".

"It's one of those things, you know within yourself how you've played and you know when you come off a 4-0 result to Bangladesh that you basically deserve everything you get.

"I don't think anyone is in a position to justify or defend themselves," Vettori told NZPA after the tourists enjoyed their second day of training since arriving in this northwestern city for the opening game in a three-match test series.

As for Greatbatch's aside about egos not matching outputs, Vettori reckons the coach will hopefully spark positive responses from the players.

"Hopefully it's a rallying call for the guys and we have to prove to Mark that we are good enough."

Despite toiling at training in temperatures above 32degC, the New Zealanders will go into the test cold, with the majority of the 15-strong not having played a first-class game since March.

In contrast, India are fully pumped after beating Australia 2-0 in two-match home series last month.

It is a clear advantage India do not need, but Vettori sees little point in complaining.

When the tour schedule was originally agreed New Zealand had been due to play two tests and three one-day internationals in Bangladesh, an itinerary which was later modified to contain more one-dayers while the tests were put back until after next year's World Cup.

Once those changes were made there was insufficient time to add a warm-up game in India to aid the tourists' preparations.

Nonetheless, it is a setback the New Zealanders could do without although Vettori has taken it in his long stride.

Vettori, who will become just the second individual after Stephen Fleming to play 100 tests for New Zealand this week, cannot recall going into a test without the conventional benefit of at least one warm-up game.

"You always want the comfort of having that bit of time in the middle and some overs under your belt, but in the end that is a luxury we do not have."

He will not allow the absence of a warm-up game to distract his players though.

"You deal with it, you don't worry about it and you make sure you are ready for the test."

Meanwhile, Vettori and his players have gone on a charm offensive with the Indian media this week.

They have conducted lengthy media sessions with about 40 broadcast and print media personnel in the past two days, with 12 players plus Vettori and Greatbatch fronting today as they were shuttled in groups of four from one room to another on the second floor of the team's comfortable inner-city hotel.

Quite rightly, the New Zealanders have spoken glowingly of the opposition and to a man they have emphasised the huge challenge awaiting them against a powerful Indian side, whose star billing Sachin Tendulkar is one century shy of becoming the first player in history to score 50 test hundreds.

- NZPA