<p><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt">Aggressive southpaws Gautam Gambhir of India and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder are the hot ones to watch in today's warm-up at Chennai</span></strong><br /><br />  <table style="width: 124px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="124" align="right" border="1">  <tbody>  <tr>  <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/feb/gauti.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr>  <tr>  <td>  <p align="center"><span style="font-size: 8pt">Gautam Gambhir</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Gautam Gambhir and Jesse Ryder have a lot in common. Both are aggressive left-handers, have Test double tons to their name, and will be appearing in their maiden World Cup soon. <br /><br />There's one difference. While Gambhir had to wait four years from the day of his Test debut to establish his place, Ryder enjoyed instant success in both New Zealand's Test and one-day squads. <br /><br />India and New Zealand will lock horns in the final World Cup warm-up tie here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium today. It will be the last opportunity to iron out whatever red marks both camps have.<br /><br />"I am very excited (about playing my first World Cup). Obviously, I was disappointed to miss out the last time. Hopefully, I can deliver the goods for the country," an upbeat Gambhir told MiD DAY just minutes before rushing off with the rest of his teammates after a training session yesterday.<br /><br />  <table style="width: 69px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="69" align="left" border="1">  <tbody>  <tr>  <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/feb/jesse.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr>  <tr>  <td><span style="font-size: 8pt">Jesse Ryder pics/getty images</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Ryder said he has had to go through a lot of hardship to make the World Cup squad. "I've had a lot of issues outside of cricket that needed to be resolved. I am in the best possible mental state to make a difference to New Zealand's cause in this World Cup. We have a very positive camp. We haven't enjoyed a lot of success in recent times, but are confident of a good show," he told MiD DAY.<br /><br />India and New Zealand have met seven times in the World Cup, with the latter holding a 4-3 win advantage. <br /><br />However, the Black Caps are undergoing their worst-ever run in ODIs, having won only two of their 18 games. <br /><br />They have been whitewashed by both India and Bangladesh since the start of this year, and recently suffered another jolt as Daniel Vettori announced his decision to quit the top job after the World Cup.u00a0 <br /><br />The average first innings total at Chennai is 262, but unlike in Bangalore, dew is a factor here.<br /><br />Meanwhile, skipper MS Dhoni said it was important for his side to pick up the intensity despite their 38-run win against Australia on Sunday. "We have to pick up a bit of intensity and this will be evident on the field against New Zealand," Dhoni told reporters yesterday, adding:u00a0 "Sachin Tendulkar will be playing the game. It's the last stop before Dhaka."<br /><br />Also, as was first reported by MiD DAY, Dhoni confirmed that Zaheer Khan will continue to sit out. "He only has a mild groin strain. Nothing to worry about. We will feature him in the opening game at Dhaka. His addition will be a big boost to the pace attack," said Dhoni.</p>

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Aggressive southpaws Gautam Gambhir of India and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder are the hot ones to watch in today's warm-up at Chennai

Expect Gambhir and Ryder to fire in today's warm-up tie

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Expect Gambhir and Ryder to fire in today's warm-up tie

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