Bowling coach Shane Jurgensen says the Blackcaps will look to expose India's vulnerable middle order as they look to defy the odds in their Cricket World Cup semi-final on Tuesday (NZ time).
The Blackcaps head into the match as massive underdogs as India have been one of the best teams of the tournament, winning seven out of the eight games they played during the round-robin stages.
New Zealand didn't get a chance to face India after their match at Trent Bridge was washed out.
Part of India's success at the tournament has been India's opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and KL Rahu, who have been a formidable force atop the order.
Sharma has hit a record five centuries for a tournament-leading 647 runs, while Rahul has hit 360.
But India's middle-order hasn't had to prove themselves throughout the tournament due to their top order success, and Jurgensen feels getting them in early will be key if the Blackcaps want to advance to the final.
"We have to get the wickets early," he explained. "Rohit Sharma has been excellent for them alongside KL Rahul.
"If we can get these guys out early, and put pressure middle order will be massive. It will be crucial to get MS Dhoni in there early and expose him."
Dhoni is considered the best finisher in world cricket, but hasn't much success at the World Cup and has failed to accelerate India's scoring rate during the end overs, putting pressure on his batting partners.
Jurgensen says he's excited to face India in a one-off game.
"We've worked hard to get to the semis, but sadly we didn't finish pool play the way we wanted too, but that happens, and we worked hard early to get to this stage, and now we have one game to get it right and if we do that, we'll be in the final."
Earlier in the year, India played a five-game ODI series against the Blackcaps in New Zealand, which the Asian nation won 4-1.
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