The last time New Zealand came to India to play a Test series five years ago, they lost 0-3, 197 runs in Kanpur, 178 runs in Kolkata and 321 runs in Indore. Since that innocence, Kane Williamson And his men set up the best Test record among all teams – 22 wins, just six losses and seven draws for a win-loss ratio of 3.67, compared to second-placed India’s 2.28 (32 wins, 14 losses). Quite ahead. eight draws).
We talk about how tough it is to compete against India – forget the beatings – at home; They have lost just two of the 26 home Tests since the 2016 New Zealand series. Here again, consider that the Kiwis themselves have lost just one match out of 23 home Tests in the same period.
Even away from home, there isn’t much to choose between two deserving inaugural World Test Championship finals. India had 13 wins, 12 losses and three draws in the last half-decade, while New Zealand had five wins, five losses and a couple of draws.
Of course, the only difference here is that New Zealand have played less than half the Tests against India. Even Bangladesh have played five more Tests in the last five years than the world Test champions.
Even with pandemic-related cancellations and postponements allowing, you would think the world’s No. 1 ranked Test team could be in more demand for the tour. But New Zealand will never be a box-office draw, India with its huge market and following in the cricketing world.
Unfortunately, rugby with a population of five million, which puts attention first and talent first, will always struggle to get you off the cricket field.
Perhaps at least we can start to do that, leaving the condescension behind the use of the term ‘punching above its weight’, which has become almost synonymous when describing what New Zealand does on the cricket field. .
If you make three finals in three world events in three different formats in three years, you’re not going to go above your weight. You are not punching above your weight when you are beating Pakistan at home in UAE, India, England England and India again in the WTC Finals on neutral soil. You are consistently being world-class in conditions and formats (the notable exception coming against big brother Australia), something that is incredibly hard to pull off and maintain.
And it’s not just Williamson, Southies and Jamieson who are taking their team out of trouble and getting it in good shape. A debutant at No 8 and No 11 resisted the power of Indian spin for more than 50 balls on the fifth day to force a stalemate in Kanpur.
You usually get a rare draw in India because either the weather is bad or the pitch is dead. If neither is the case, as is usually the case, the spin wins.
As Rachin Ravindra said after his 91-ball tackle at Green Park, “Kane also mentioned it, many teams don’t lose the toss and are capable of stealing the draw (in India).”
His fellow defender, Ejaz Patel, expanded on his approach. “We talked about playing the ball as straight as possible,” Ijaz said yesterday. “If it goes past the outside edge it goes past the outside edge. But as long as we are keeping the stumps out of play and getting (bat) out in front of the pads, that was the most important part. “
A clarification whose application by No. 11 – almost the entire fielding unit breathing down its neck – would have made a specialist batsman proud.
Or consider the fact that wicketkeeper Tom Blundell played 132 deliveries in Kanpur, but the one who will remember the most is the dismissal of R Ashwin in the second innings and the unfortunate shooter. Axar Patel in the first time.
Blundell’s preparation for this tour included batting on surfaces that were covered with rugs or gravel to simulate the variable bounce of Indian pitches. Quietly, firmly on that, under the radar, another phrase often associated with New Zealand.
His coach Gary Stead probably bested it before the 2019 World Cup final. “You can play a par 4 in golf and you hit it in the middle and then another you hit the middle of the green and you get two putts and a 4. So it doesn’t matter how you get there. Arrive,” Steadt said.
“Or you can hit your driver with a tee and it goes into the rough. Get the next one in the bunker. You can flop over the thing and sink a 20-foot putt and it’s still 4” There is… many times we have shown the ability to do it the other way around and that is important.”
Consistency, Reliability, Flexibility, Working without any hassles; Call it whatever you want, it’s more than just punching someone’s weight. And it has now given them an opportunity to push for their maiden series win in India.
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