Daniel Vettori, left, played a bit-part role in the 2002/03 ODI series against India as seamers Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram starred.

As a cock-a-hoop Indian side prepares to take on the Black Caps, Ian Anderson looks back on a series when the superstar-studded visitors were destroyed by New Zealand on wickets that were greener than envy.

India arrived in New Zealand in December 2002 ahead of two tests and seven one-day internationals with a terrifying batting arsenal.

Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman threatened to dictate terms - four years previously, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid (two) and Mohammed Azharuddin had scored centuries in a drawn two-test series against New Zealand.

So to nullify India's strengths, the wickets throughout the country were prepared towards a shade of green in which Kermit could have been camouflaged.

Latter game-by-game stats here will show you how much the seamers dominated - the hosts in particular - but none better than the following: NZ's world-class spinner Daniel Vettori didn't bowl a ball in the two tests.

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In the seven-match ODI series that followed, Vettori bowled a total of 22 overs and took 3-83.

New Zealand won the test series 2-0 and the ODIs 5-2, after being 4-0 up.

STUFF Virender Sehwag falls to Daryl Tuffey in the first test at the Basin Reserve in December 2002.

India didn't play another test here for almost seven years and it was more than six years until we saw another ODI in this country between the two teams.

The lesson - don't antagonise cricket's most powerful nation.

So don't expect to see low-scoring encounters on seaming decks over the next string of white-ball encounters versus Virat Kohli's men.

THE 2002 TESTS

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss, inserted the visitors at the Basin Reserve and were batting themselves late on day one.

Shane Bond and Scott Styris took three wickets each and Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram two apiece as India were rolled for 161 in 58.4 overs.

Mark Richardson's 89 helped NZ establish a 86-run first-innings lead and only Tendulkar (51 off 74 balls) stood tall for India in their second innings of 121. Bond took 4-33, Tuffey 3-35 and Oram 3-36 as NZ won by 10 wickets in just over two and a half days.

"The boys were shocked by it [pace and bounce]," Indian coach John Wright said of the Basin wicket.

The second and final test at Seddon Park in Hamilton would have come to an even quicker conclusion if it wasn't for rain.

With Fleming again winning the toss and bowling, India were demolished for 99 in 38.2 overs with Tuffey (4-12) and Bond (4-39) the destroyers.

In reply, NZ crumbled for 94 - batting the exact number of overs - with Zaheer Khan taking 5-29 while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh managed to sneak in some overs to grab 2-20.

India's second dig wasn't a whole heap better - Tuffey took 4-41 and Jacob Oram 4-41 and while NZ were nervously placed at 105-5 in their chase for the 2-0 series win, they got home with four wickets to spare.

THE 2002/03 ODIS

If fans were hoping for more batting highlights in the white-ball games, they were hugely disappointed.

In 14 innings, there were just two team scores over 200 - in the same game in Napier, where it would take some wizardry - or a flood - to turn McLean Park into a batsman's seaming nightmare.

With Tendulkar not playing the first four one-dayers, the status quo from the tests continued in the opener at Eden Park as NZ won the toss and bowled India out for 108 all out in 32.5 overs; Oram taking 5-26 off his 10.

STUFF Daniel Vettori didn't bowl a ball in New Zealand's two test wins over India at the end of 2002.

He then made a valuable 27 not out as the hosts reached their small target seven down in the 38th over as seamer Javagal Srinath took 4-23.

In Napier, India won the toss for the first time on tour and opted to bowl but NZ reached 254-9 chiefly through a second-wicket stand of 136 between Nathan Astle and Mathew Sinclair. Kyle Mills took 3-45 as India were bowled out for 219 in 43.4 overs despite Sehwag making 108 from 119 balls opening.

India won the toss again at in game three Lancaster Park in Christchurch and made the fatal error of batting first.

Dravid top-scored with 20 as they were dismissed for 108 in 41.1 overs, with Paul Hitchcock taking 3-30 off eight and Oram 2-22 off 8.1. NZ's 109-5 took 26.5 overs to achieve.

STUFF Andre Adams was regularly among the wickets in the seven-game ODI series for New Zealand.

The series victory was wrapped up in game four in Queenstown when NZ won the toss and bowled the tourists out for 122 in 43.4 overs.

Andre Adams led the way with 5-22 and despite Srinath's 3-35, the hosts won by seven wickets in only 25.4 overs.

India scored their first win of the tour at Westpac Stadium in the capital when NZ won the toss and strangely chose to bat.

They could only manage 168 in 42.4 overs after falling to 3-3 in the fourth over - with Chris Harris batting at No 4. Brendon McCullum made 35 off 73 balls at No 7 while Khan captured 3-30.

Although they slumped to 116-7 in the 30th over, India got home by two wickets as Yuvraj Singh made 54 off 85 deliveries and Khan completed his match-winning double with an unbeaten 34.

Game six was back at Eden Park. Having learnt his lesson, Ganguly fielded after winning the toss and the hosts were limited to 199-9 in their 50 overs - Lou Vincent top-scoring with 53no off 107 balls at No 6 as Srinath took 3-13 off 10 in an Indian side which didn't feature a spinner.

Sehwag's 112 was the key to India getting up by one wicket with seven balls left as Adams took 3-41 and Vettori didn't play.

STUFF Daryl Tuffey and the New Zealand bowlers dictated terms when India toured the country in 2002/03.

The run-shy series concluded in Hamilton when - in a move which surprised no one - NZ won the toss and bowled.

Further following script, India were all out in the 45th over for a measly 122 as Adams captured 4-21 off 8.5 overs. Fleming's unbeaten 60 from 92 balls as opener helped NZ win by six wickets with 21.2 overs up their sleeves.

The final figures in the onde-side 'war' between seamers/swing bowlers and spinners?

Sixty of the 65 wickets that fell in the two tests were to seam and swing; while spinners captured only seven of the 95 wickets taken in the ODIs.