Former New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has issued a stern warning to his fellow teammates ahead of their upcoming tour of India for a three-match Test series, highlighting the formidable challenges they will encounter. In a recent interview, Guptill reflected on the difficulty of securing a victory on Indian soil, particularly when facing India's spin-heavy attack led by R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

The much-anticipated New Zealand tour of India is set to begin next month, with the first Test taking place on October 16 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The second Test is scheduled for October 28 in Pune, and the final Test will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai starting November 1.

Guptill, who represented New Zealand in 47 Tests, shared insights on the unique difficulties posed by Indian conditions. “You feel like you can never score sometimes, that’s the hardest thing about coming here to India. The ball’s turning square, then the same sort of ball comes through and it skids on straight,” Guptill said during an interview with PTI.

He further added, "You never know which one's going to turn and which one's going to go straight, so you have to always be thinking, you have to always be mentally on song and on (the top of) your game."

Guptill pointed out the immense threat posed by Ashwin and Jadeja, not only with the ball but also with the bat. “(They had a) 199-run partnership, you think you've got India against the ropes and then you've got these two come out and bat. While Jadeja is probably the better batter, I mean, Ashwin goes about his work in a completely different way and is very effective in the way he scores his runs," said Guptill.

Facing Ashwin and Jadeja on turning tracks has been an arduous task for most visiting teams, and Guptill believes New Zealand will have to be at their very best to counter the duo. “You never feel like you're on top of India because they've got such depth, and then, obviously, you've got them as a partnership of the ball as well,” he added, warning his team about the spin partnership’s ability to dominate in both departments.