That may be true. But given how poorly the New Zealand pacers performed (especially Tickner, Duffy and Shipley), I think Boult or Southee would have performed far better. Lockie Ferguson was the only bowler who held his nerves against India. Anyway, the pitches were very unsupportive for the pace bowlers and therefore even the experienced bowlers would have struggled. On top of that, New Zealand is not a team with depth in their player strength, unlike the case with India, Australia or England. If 2-3 if their main players are unavailable, that will impact their performance.