New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell felt that the rule change introduced last year, which lets teams choose one ball for the last 16 overs of the game, has also helped spinners in ODIs.

While two new balls are used from each end from the start to the 34th over, after that, one ball will be used for the rest of the match. This was done primarily to help bowlers get some reverse swing with a slightly older ball.

“I think the ball gets a little bit softer. So perhaps spinners are bowling more in the last 10 overs. And I guess when that ball does get soft, it becomes a little bit harder to hit out to the boundary. So it can be a positive for a spin bowler to be bowling at the back end,” said Bracewell.

When asked about how spinners need to evolve to succeed in ODI cricket where the deck is loaded against them, he highlighted the importance of being unpredictable.

“There’s not much that you can change in terms of your line and length. So you’ve got to try and get the ball to behave slightly differently off the surface through variation in pace or the way that you hold the ball to get it to just react slightly differently off the surface,” he added.

Looking ahead to the ODI series, the 35-year-old expected a tight contest. “It’s two evenly matched teams. We had a great series in India at the start of the year, winning it 2-1, and I think India will will want to right some wrongs”.

(Watch New Zealand vs. India 1st ODI live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV on Wednesday from 7 a.m. IST).