New Zealand fast bowler Iain O'Brien is looking forward to bowling on the sub-continent despite conditions being far from conducive to pacemen.

"It's playing Test cricket. I'd rather be bowling into the wind than sitting in the stand having a few beers," O'Brien told NZPA ahead of the Black Caps' two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on 18 August.

"I don't see it as a thankless task. Sometimes it'll be foot down, other times I'll work with the spinners and contain.

"Obviously you've got to bowl well, but it's the other bits and pieces you do, making sure you're in the right position in the field so you can take on lots of water."

"Sometimes you take a few wickets, sometimes the thanks is a pat on the back when you're walking up the stairs to the changing room at the end of a session."

33-year-old O'Brien hopes the experience he gained in a successful stint with English county Leicestershire earlier this year, during which he claimed 19 wickets in five matches at an average of 22.63, stands him in good stead against Kumar Sangakkara's team.

"I hit some pretty good numbers over in England. And most of the tracks were pretty flat and slow, probably similar to what we'll get here," he concluded.