Black Caps coach Mike Hesson kindly sat down with the Otago Daily Times cricket writer Adrian Seconi to answer a few questions before the team departs for India tomorrow.
Are three spinners a given?
What about Martin Guptill?
Would he better off dropping down the order to No5?
How does Otago all-rounder Jimmy Neesham fit into the mix?
And can his provincial team-mate Neil Wagner add value with the new ball if called on to open the bowling?
They are all water-cooler questions we put to the Black Caps coach Mike Hesson over a flat white earlier this week.
Talk in the media leading up to the tour of India suggested New Zealand will look to play three spinners.
It is not something the Black Caps have done too often.
It worked out well at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium two years ago.
Mitchell Santner is the new Vettori these days and the trio may find themselves bowling a lot of overs in India.
"I think you definitely have to play two and there will be certain conditions where three will be an option," Hesson said.
"It is a bit early to say, but with the venues that we are at, three will be a real consideration."
If three spinners play then either Neil Wagner, Trent Boult or Tim Southee has to miss out.
Wagner was the form seamer on the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, while Boult and Southee had their struggles.
Neither appear in the same rhythm they were in 18 months ago during the Cricket World Cup.
But they have formed a very successful new ball partnership for New Zealand over the years, so discarding one would be a big call.
And, is Wagner really an option with the new ball?
So who gets dropped?
"I don’t think anyone is guaranteed selection," Hesson said.
"We are a loyal selection panel for guys who have shown they can do a good job for us in the past. But we also understand the game has ups and downs, but we also need to pick what we deem to be the best team.
"It will depend on how abrasive the surface is and whether we think reverse swing will play a part or whether it will suit bounce bowling."
Wagner has made it hard for the selectors to leave him out of the playing XI.
He has 94 wickets in 23 tests and is threatening Sir Richard Hadlee’s record as the fastest New Zealand bowler to reach 100 wickets.
"He has certainly been our most consistent performer during the last six months. But he performs a different role for us and it is hard to compare him with the other guys and say he is our best bowler.
"I think he has learnt that the lengths he needs to bowl are different in test cricket. He tried to float it up there and swing it at times and would struggle to control the run rate.
"And when you can’t control the run rate, you struggle to create pressure and guys can sit on you. Whereas now he has a lot more control over his length.
‘‘He is not one of our two best swing bowlers at this stage but he can certainly take the new ball if required.
"But I think, the reality is, if you are going to play three spinners, you would probably open with one anyway.
"The need to have both your bowlers being swing bowlers is not the same as it is in other countries."
That would seemingly open the door for someone like Neesham as well.
The all-rounder has not played a test since injuring his back in the first test against Australia in November.
His ability with the bat would strengthen the lower middle order which has been vulnerable.
But Hesson said Neesham had only just made his way back into the squad and had work ahead of him in order to crack the test side.
While Neesham returns to the fold, Canterbury pace bowler Matt Henry and Auckland opener Jeet Raval have been cut from the test squad.
Henry was surplus to requirements.
There is no need for five front-line seamers in a touring party to India, while Raval is perhaps a little unlucky.
Hesson feels Raval’s game is better suited to New Zealand conditions, and he wanted him back in the country playing cricket and preparing for any future international opportunities.
It was also a vote of confidence in Guptill.
The opener is devastating against the white ball but question marks remain about his ability to perform the role at test level.
There is a growing school of thought the opener would be better off down the order at No5.
It is not a theory Hesson subscribes to at all.
If Guptill dropped down, he would likely have to start his innings against spin and the right-hander has shown he his vulnerable early on against quality slow bowlers, whereas Henry Nicholls is considered a good player of spin.
Southee is the other player who is often dropped by the critics clustered around the water cooler.
Hesson acknowledged the 27-year-old had not been at his best during the home games last summer but has "started to get much closer to where he has been".
"We were certainly pleased with the way he bowled during the two tests in South Africa. He is certainly getting his pace back and starting to use the crease better, and he was able to sustain his pace throughout the day."
