17 Feb 2011

Taylor concedes major improvement against spinners needed

7:13 am on 17 February 2011

The stand in New Zealand cricket captain Ross Taylor concedes the Black Caps ability to play spin will need to improve dramatically if they're to enjoy success at the World Cup.

The Black Caps slumped to a 117 run loss to India in Chennai, in their final warm up match ahead of their tournament.

Batting first India piled on 360 for five with captain MS Dhonki making an unbeaten 108 off just 64 balls.

New Zealand's run chase started postively with Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill putting on 94 for the opening partnership, with McCullum top scoring with 58.

But the middle order struggled with the turn and bounce of the Indian spinners as the Black Caps stuttered to 147 for five.

Dan Vettori missed the match with a hamstring strain but medical staff say he'll be right for Sunday's opening match against Kenya.