Martin Guptill will have a huge say in determining the Blackcaps' fate during the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE, says batting coach Luke Ronchi.
Guptill, 35, is New Zealand's leading T20 runscorer and one of three Blackcaps batters to score two or more centuries in the format, along with Brendon McCullum and Colin Munro.
Boasting 102 T20s for New Zealand, Guptill is tied with Ross Taylor, as the Blackcaps' most capped player.
Taylor hasn't been selected for the tournament, leaving Guptill well clear of the next most-seasoned player in the squad, Tim Southee with 83.
With New Zealand's tournament starting on October 27 against Pakistan, Guptill has warmed up with scores of 32 against the Netherlands and 30 against Australia, spending valuable time in the middle.
With two solid, if unspectacular knocks under his belt, Ronchi says Guptill could firm as the Blackcaps' key man in the sometimes difficult batting conditions of the UAE.
"That's the exciting thing, he's going to be massive for us," Ronchi says. "The powerplays here are really important to get the team off to a good start and Gup's been amazing at that for New Zealand for however many years now - I don't even know how long it's been.
"Hopefully, he continues that on and gets us going in the tournament."
Guptill's latest innings came as part of the Blackcaps' three-wicket loss to Australia, where Ronchi says that the signs were good for the team, despite the result.
Most notably, the performances of Daryl Mitchell as a makeshift opener, scoring 40 against the Netherlands and 33 retired against Australia, sees the Blackcaps with batting order options.
"It was good, it was another step up from the Dutch the other day," adds Ronchi.
"The guys went out and batted really well on a surface that was different from the other day.
"It was a lot slower at certain times and lots of changes of pace.
"To see Gup, Daryl there - another option, he's given us a few headaches there selection-wise - so that's really good for selection and the team point of view.
"Kane [Williamson] went out and the guys got what they needed to, just to move the team forward in prepping for the World Cup."
Join Newshub for live updates of the Blackcaps v Pakistan T20 World Cup clash on October 27.
