Kiwis hoping to surprise India in fifth ODI

CHENNAI - Saying that India would be the team to beat at the 2011 World Cup to be played in the subcontinent, Ross Taylor hopes New Zealand would be able to do just that Friday when the two teams meet in the fifth and final One-day game of the series that the hosts lead 4-0.

Taylors optimism flows from the solid performance of the Kiwis in Bangalore earlier this week before caving in under pressure after scoring 315 as he felt that his team could yet pull off a win here on the morrow.

The Indian side is a very young side and with experienced players in it. It is very hard to bet against them as they go in as favourites in the World Cup.

We take confidence from our last match when, for the first time, we really played well. We back ourselves to restrict India with the ball as well here.

In the last match, we really stood up with our batting performance posting a 315 total, but we did not field as well. In a long tour like this there are bound to be few niggling injuries but everyone is available for this match, Taylor said.

Despite the drubbing in the ODI series, Taylor felt his team still had a lot to look forward to, considering that they would be hosting Pakistan in the coming weeks.

Playing in New Zealand conditions is familiar to us, and after this match, we are playing Pakistan at home. We will continue to build on the way we are. Some of the players have got valuable experience here.

Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum are the only guys who have played India before. For the rest of the side, it is a learning experience. Hopefully, it is better for our players in the World Cup, Taylor said.