Trent Boult has some idea about Rohit Sharma’s strengths and weaknesses, having been a part of the Mumbai Indians for the last three IPL seasons. But Boult is more interested in “mirroring” Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi to get success against Rohit, and his opening partner KL Rahul as well, when he bowls at them in Dubai on Sunday.

Pakistan’s left-arm speedster Afridi’s fast, inswinging deliveries upfront had toppled the Indian opening pair last week. But Boult, who too is a left-arm pacer, can only do an Afridi if he gets the new ball, which wasn’t the case in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup opener versus Pakistan in Sharjah, where he had come in as first change.

“I suppose it depends when I get the ball. I’m not too sure what the plan is, with what overs certain bowlers are bowling. But I thought the way Shaheen bowled the other night, watching on I thought it was amazing, though there are quality batsmen in that Indian line-up.

“Early wickets are definitely the focus for us as a bowling group. Hopefully, from my point of view, it swings around a little bit and I can mirror what Shaheen did the other night,” Boult said on Saturday.

The Dubai International Stadium pitches do have a bit more assist for the quicks, so it won’t be surprising if Boult bowls first up. “The Dubai wicket tends to have a bit more pace in it, so we have to adapt as quickly as we can,” senior pacer Tim Southee said.

Irrespective of the conditions on match day, no team will have any extra edge, feels Boult. “Both the sides are stacked with quality players.

“In terms of our team, we’re definitely excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us. A few guys have been here (in the UAE) playing in the IPL and obviously have played a lot with these Indian guys. So here’s hoping we can put it all together in the game and get our ball rolling,” he explained.

New Zealand are also optimistic of getting the services of opener Martin Guptill, who suffered a toe injury in their previous game.