New Zealand claimed an early victory ahead of the opening test against India when they kicked out a proposal to delay the start of the match by an hour, but it remains to be seen whether they will have similar success on the field.
Indian broadcasters had lodged a last-minute request to change the starting time for the opening test, which begins at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday, in the hope of attracting more television viewers at home.
However, the request was dismissed by New Zealand cricket officials, according to local media reports, meaning the match will start as scheduled.
Each of their recent five one-day matches was interrupted by heavy rain and delayed starts during the tests would likely increase the chances of matches being cut short by foul weather.
India easily won the one-day series 3-1, with the other match completely washed out, and while everything points to a win for the visitors, the record books would suggest otherwise.
India have not won a test series in New Zealand for over 40 years and have not managed to win a single test there since 1976.
However, the current Indian team holds a huge advantage over the New Zealanders in terms of quality and experience and will go into the first test at full strength with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman all passed fit.
"They are the kind of guys that have performed everywhere and it's not just their batting," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told a news conference on Tuesday.
"It helps you a lot as a skipper when you look around and you see guys that have played more than 100 test matches."
New Zealand finished the one-day series on a high by winning the last game to go into the tests with some momentum.
But New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori conceded the Indians had a powerful batting lineup that would take some stopping and said he needed all his batsmen to perform.
"If you look at the Indian top order it's very impressive through their weight of games and their weight of runs," Vettori said.
"We're going to need a lot of guys within our team, not just one or two stepping up to give ourselves a chance."
