Tarun Nethula will bank on some local support if he gets the chance to make his Test cricket debut for New Zealand against India this week.
The opening match of the two-Test series begins on Thursday in Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh, the same state where the leg-spinner was born.
"My father's side of the family are from here and quite a few of his siblings still live here," he said.
"If I do get to make it into the playing 11, hopefully they will come out here and support the boys."
Nethula, 29, was born in Kurnool and moved to New Zealand with his family when he was 12.
He made his first appearance for the Black Caps this year in the limited-overs series against the touring Zimbabwe side.
With veteran left-armer Daniel Vettori out of the Tests against India with a groin problem, Nethula and Jeetan Patel, who has 13 Tests to his name, provide the spin options.
Nethula said conditions in India were different from those Black Caps' tough tour of Florida and the Caribbean, where they lost to the West Indies in all three forms of the game.
"There's actually a bit more grass on the decks compared with the West Indies and it's colder for a start," he said.
"It's a bit more easy on the bowlers and the fielders out there, so hopefully it will work in our favour."
The Black Caps will go straight into the opening Test without any lead-up matches and under new coach Mike Hesson, who has taken over from John Wright.
NZN