Cricket teams in transition can make an intriguing case study. It reveals the true health of the sport in a particular country, and unravels the real picture of the talent hidden underneath.

There can be different kinds of transition process. There are teams where that process is almost invisible, Australia being the prime example. They always have a guy who is waiting to take over the reigns of the team. Steve Waugh goes, Ricky Ponting's waiting. Ricky Ponting goes, Michael Clarke's waiting. Michael Clarke goes, Steve Smith is waiting.

Then there are teams who take a bit of time to complete the cycle. In India, one thought the shoes of the 'Fab Four' – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – were too big to fill when they retired. Think about it now, and the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara seem to have stepped into a major part of those boots. And finally, there are teams who struggle to find replacements, like Sri Lanka at present, who just don't seem to have players to replace their departed greats Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

New Zealand find themselves in that crossroad now. After 14 years, the Kiwis will step on to the field without Brendon McCullum, their iconic superstar and leader who retired from all forms of international cricket after the second Test against Australia last month. And the dawn of the Brendon-less era for New Zealand begins when they take on India on March 15 in the first game of the World T20, a big tournament to kickstart the transition process.

Not that it is bothering the Kiwis.

"I think it's probably a part of anything you do that comes to an end," new captain Kane Williamson said here on Tuesday. "It was Brendon's decision to retire and that is just the nature of it. He gave so much to the team while he was around and we are certainly thankful for that, for the time we had with him. He is excited about what he is going to get on in the future."

Part of the reason why playing without their charismatic former skipper isn't giving the New Zealand players a nightmare is that Brendon never considered himself as the be all and end all of the team.

"He certainly led by example but he encouraged others to do the same," the 25-year-old Williamson said. "I think he created a lot of leaders in the group and he was the first to say that although it was his vision and Mike Hesson's (New Zealand coach) vision, the way the guys brought into it was equally important. We certainly saw that on the field but the focus was very much off the field: team culture, guys playing for one another, selfless cricketers, guys going out and committing to the situation for the benefit of the side.

"I think it's important that it is continued. There is naturally a transition when you lose a player, someone of the calibre of Brendon. It's part of the game, not only as a batsman but as a leader. But you have to finish at some time and you look to move on and build on from what we have done so well. That's the focus for us," Williamson added.

The impact of BrendonBuilding on the positive aspects are the key words for the Kiwis looking ahead. And Brendon brought in plenty of them on the field. Belief. Fearlessness. Attitude. Spark. Chutzpah. More importantly, though, it was the change he initiated off it that his teammates are grateful for.

"Brendon has changed the way this team is perceived by the public and also the way we see ourselves," New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott, who has played 83 ODIs and 11 T20Is, said. "That whole respect of the game and the opposition while still playing hard. He always used to say 'the game owes you nothing'."

Twenty four-year-old all-rounder Mitchell Santner, who made his debut for New Zealand in June last year, spoke about how Brendon made his jump to international cricket seem smaller than it actually was.

"He just brought in that atmosphere. You felt welcomed, felt at home, felt that the team had your back. It just became a lot easier for me to play," Santner said.

It is on these young shoulders that Brendon felt confident about leaving the team, though his retirement just before the World T20 did come as a shock to the cricketing world.

"He's achieved a lot and feels that it's a good time to leave the team in a space that he is confident, with someone like Kane leading the team and all the young players that we have got," Elliott said.

That confidence will be put to its first test as New Zealand dare to chase their maiden World T20 title. And that is something that has got the juices flowing inside Nathan McCullum, the elder brother of Brendon. The 35-year-old, who has played in all the World T20s so far, wants to look at Brendon's absence as an opportunity rather than a setback.

"He's had a massive impact on the team, how we move forward, what style of cricket we play and the way we have developed our cricket. We've got a youthful and experience team under Kane now, but more important an exciting team that is prepared to move forward," Nathan said.

"This (World T20) is the first taste of it, and I'm really excited to see what this group of players do," he added.

All New Zealand, nay cricket, fans will be. So will Brendon McCullum.

Will pay tribute to Crowe: WilliamsonThe death of New Zealand great Martin Crowe saddened the entire cricketing community, but it left a bigger hole in the hearts of some of the New Zealand players he had personally coached. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is one of them, and he said the players will certainly play a tribute to the legend at the start of the tournament. "Obviously, it was a really sad time, particularly for Martin's family. There are some guys in the side who were very close to him. So conversations will be had closer to our first competition match around how we can best do that (pay tribute). At this stage, there's still a lot of time before that game but we will be acknowledging it," he said.