The New Zealand men's hockey coach Shane McLeod says their series defeat to India is probably a missed opportunity rather than any cause for concerns as they build towards an important schedule on the world stage.
India won the fourth test in Auckland 2-0 to take the series 2-nil.
With half a dozen of his top players not available, most of them playing in Europe, McLeod says the Indian series and the recent Punjab Gold Cup have been great opportunities at the start of a big year.
The Black Sticks have the Azlan Shah tournament coming up in April, and the Oceania Cup against Australia in August.
