As Aotearoa A were in the process of getting smoked by India A - India only batted once, Aotearoa batted twice and didn't pass 150 in either innings - the homie Mike Hesson dropped a petite squad for the Blackcaps limited overs tour to India. I'll pre-warn y'all now that I won't be covering the series in India all that deeply, mainly because I don't really care about it and we're not going to learn much from three ODIs and three T20 internationals. Apart from any dosh made via the BCCI, perhaps we'd be better off making this Aotearoa A tour a bit longer.

T20I fixtures rarely get graced with my thoughts, while reviewing the ODI series on a game by game basis won't really offer y'all anything. Sure, we'll assess the situation after the series but the domestic summer is swiftly approaching and I'd rather put efforts into pumping that up, than going into detail about a three-game ODI series.

We do however have a squad, with nine blokes named and another six to be added from the Aotearoa A team. No surprises in the Blackcaps squad; Kane Williamson, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor and Adam Milne. There's a bit of funk in Milne's selection, straight into the Blackcaps while Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and Scott Kuggeleijn slug it out for the A team, after Milne was slotted straight into the Blackcaps Champions Trophy squad having not played an ODI since February 8, 2016.

Milne is now the premier quick bowler in Aotearoa, which is fine. The declining form of Southee, along with Boult not quite developing as prodigiously as many of us hoped, then combined with Milne being the premier quick, doesn't really fill me with an abundance of confidence. Milne's kicking around with an ODI bowling average of 37.73, Southee 33.22 and while Boult is the best at 25.48, he could only muster 3 wickets in the Champions Trophy; a wicket in each game.

Hence, I'm more intrigued by that trio of quicks who are in the A team and who makes the cut for the Blackcaps. There's scope for all three, along with Ish Sodhi to join the Blackcaps, leaving two more spots up for grabs. Henry Nicholls captained the A team and batted at No.3, he's the most likely of the batsmen to be selected and with Tom Latham the only wicket-keeper named in the nine-man squad and Tim Seifert getting the gloves for the first four-dayer for Aotearoa A, perhaps Seifert may be the bolter.

My guess is that Tom Blundell will also get an opportunity with the gloves and Hesson will make a decision after that. Do not however, sleep on Seifert being selected for this Blackcaps limited overs tour as he led all wicket-keepers in runs last summer in the Ford Trophy (37.28avg), which was better than Glenn Phillips (who didn't w-k in all FT games) and Blundell's 25.50avg. Seifert was also 8th in Plunket Shield runs, averaging 36.70 while Blundell was supreme with an average of 54.66.

India is a limited overs tour though and last summer was Seiftert's break-out campaign, so don't sleep.

Notable absentees are Jimmy Neesham and Neil Broom. Somewhat notable because both were in that miserable CT tournament, although not surprising given that Broom had scores of 14, 11 and 36 (after doing what he does best in dominating Bangladesh) and Neesham had scores of 6, 18 and 23. Neesham - as an all-rounder - also didn't take a wicket in the CT and has taken 2+ wickets in a game just once since December 26, 2016.

Broom leaves a hole, not a big hole but a spot to fill, at No.5 and Neesham leaves an all-rounder spot vacant. Nicholls would be the likeliest No.5 option, followed by Seifert and Neesham's spot could see de Grandhomme get more game time, Kuggeleijn emerge as Aotearoa's next all-rounder saviour, or the Blackcaps can stack their bowling and tell the batsmen to do their jobs.

It's hard to see Broom working his way back into the Blackcaps as there's plenty of competition among the younger wave for those batting spots around Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. With Corey Anderson suffering another injury setback with that back (don't smoke crack, you don't know jack, stack a rack on a rack), Neesham's absence is a blow as he tries to stake his claim as the top all-rounder in Aotearoa. Hesson has swung the axe after that CT campaign and it was necessary, now other blokes get their chance.

Peace and love 27.

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