Ajinkya Rahane doesn’t fuss over technical issues but India’s Test vice-captain feels that the breeze in Wellington and Christchurch needs to be factored in during the team’s upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand next month. India will be playing two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch after five T20 Internationals and three ODIs.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Rahane spoke on a host of issues with regards to the upcoming tour where the current team has a good chance of emulating the class of 2009 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy.

Rahane, who has been doing his homework for the tour, singled out left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner as the bowler to watch out for after his recent exploits against Australia and prior to that, England.

“Wagner did well in the recent series. You can’t take just one name. As a batting unit, you’ve got to respect every bowler. As a home team, they have an advantage knowing conditions well but at the same time, we need to play our natural game also,” said the 31-year-old, who has scored 4112 runs in 63 Test matches.

With Trent Boult and Wagner looking to bring the ball back into the right-handers, Rahane feels that standing outside the crease to counter the swing could be the way to deal with them but then, to each his own. “There are different ways to counter different kind of bowling. Everyone has a different method. Few players love standing outside the crease and some stand deep inside the crease.

“Some take middle-stump guard, few take leg-stump guard. Individual players should stick to their own strengths.” In New Zealand, playing as close as possible to the body will be very important, opined Rahane.

“I think it’s a good idea to have shadow tours with India A. So, before playing Test matches, if India A matches are there, it’s good preparation for us. It helps in acclimatisation. “Getting over the jet lag due to a long flight will be the key. Preparation doesn’t start from practising the skills but it starts from the travel day. Getting over jet lag, getting accustomed to the weather, all small things matter. So ‘A’ tour helps in preparation.” He feels that new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and India A coach Rahul Dravid will take Indian cricket to unprecedented heights.