In some ways, it hardly mattered yesterday as Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina sent white cricket balls into orbit.
It's simple, really - see ball, hit ball and that probably explains why the Indians wasted no time coming to Napier baking under 30C sunshine.
"Watch out! You kids have to move," shouted Baba, wearing a CD Stags hat and fetching balls among the crowd like a fox terrier.
Asked what the shots felt like coming off the willows, a Brendon Bracewell Academy net bowler, Zac Jones, 19, of Oxford, said: "Ridiculously good, actually."
The Ford Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay medium/fast right-armer had rather enjoyed feathering his delivery past Dhawan.
"I had him caught at second slip, actually," he said, beaming as he wiped a trickle of sweat off his eyebrow.
He singled out Sharma as the bloke New Zealand bowlers need to claim cheaply. So who'll win, Jones?
"New Zealand have a good chance with Milney [Adam Milne] playing," he said of the CD speed merchant slowly working his way up to 160km/h mark.
Taradale CC legspinner and fellow academy member Artwell Nyambanje, 22, of Bindura, Zimbabwe, reckoned the batsmen were picking gaps well.
"Kohli felt the best," said Nyambanje, who has bowled against India, West Indies and the Caps.
The ODI world champions, not surprisingly, were the classiest batsmen he has bowled to in the nets.
However, the secret weapon for India was at the park pavilion. He's the chai wallah (tea maker), Ramesh Mani, known to the tourists as "Kaka", the Hindustani term for uncle.
"He's more like a mother to the team" a source revealed, adding Mani makes a wicked Bombay Chai including ingredients such as root ginger, cardamom and cinnamon.
While many cricketers pop pills to fight inflammation, Indian players sip Mani's secret recipe.
"They drink the tea any time - morning, late at night and even on game days during drinks breaks," the source said.
Mani is officially a masseuse but metamorphosed into a swiss knife within an eight-year stint.
He can make anything from chappatis to exotic curries such as upma pongal (South Indian delicacy) and kichadi (north).
The North Indian from Mumbai is in his 60s and has toured to every test-playing nation twice.
Even India coach Duncan Fletcher relishes his tea.
Mani lights aromatic incense sticks in players' rooms to soothe their nerves and even supplies recorded, traditional Indian music on demand.
Anyone for tea-leaf reading?
