Darren Bazeley’s last All Whites games are against India, and he has picked three uncapped Phoenix players for Auckland

New Zealand play India at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, 12 November, and it is the start of Darren Bazeley’s farewell. His contract as All Whites head coach has not been extended, he leaves at the end of the year, and this two-match series is his last in charge. Kick-off is 7pm in Auckland, which is 11:30am IST.

The second game is in Christchurch on Sunday, 15 November, at 4pm local time (8:30am IST). It will be the first international football match at the new One New Zealand Stadium.

A squad for the next coach

Bazeley has not brought his strongest side. New Zealand went out of the World Cup in the group stage in the summer with a draw and two defeats, and with several Europe-based players busy at their clubs he said he had “had to look at some different options for this window”. He has leaned on the A-League. Seven of his original 22 play for Wellington Phoenix, who are on their best-ever start to an A-League Men season.

Three of those Phoenix players are uncapped. Corban Piper, Matthew Sheridan and Nathan Walker have their first call-ups, and Piper has never played for New Zealand at any level. Bazeley said it was “their brilliant form at the start of the season which has led to them being selected”.

There has already been one change. Defender Tyler Bindon pulled out injured, and two centre-backs came in: Lukas Kelly-Heald from the Phoenix and Michael Boxall, the Minnesota United veteran. Matt Garbett is back as well, for the first time since an injury forced him out of the squad on the eve of the World Cup.

Chris Wood is still the captain, and still the man India most need to stop. The Nottingham Forest striker has 45 goals in 95 internationals.

India without Gurpreet

Khalid Jamil’s squad is on India’s first football tour of New Zealand. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is not with them. He was left out after India conceded ten goals in two friendlies in Kolkata last month, 4-0 to Brazil and 6-1 to Uruguay, and Vishal Kaith looks the likeliest to start in goal.

Anwar Ali, Apuia and Mohammed Sanan are all injured. Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh are the obvious attacking threats, along with Ryan Williams, the Australian-born winger who switched to India this year and has already scored against Hong Kong and Panama.

Jamil was not underselling the opposition. “New Zealand are also a World Cup-playing nation and a strong opponent, and these two matches will be a good test for us away from home,” he said.

India have never beaten them

The two sides have met twice. They drew 0-0 in 1981, and New Zealand won 2-1 in Mumbai in 2018.

I’d take a draw on Thursday as a good night for Jamil. New Zealand are short of several regulars, but they still have Wood, and India have let in ten goals in their last two games. Keeping Wood quiet for 90 minutes would tell Jamil more about this defence than anything that happened in Kolkata.

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