India is no longer a mystery, but no New Zealand team has won a Test series here since the inaugural contest in 1955; Kiwi captain Kane Williamson and coach Mike Hesson consider India at home as the 'big challenge'
Ajinkya Rahane (right) with his coach Pravin Amre during a practice at Cricket Club of India (CCI) ahead of Test series against New Zealand in Mumbai yesterday. Pic/PTI
New Delhi: India or for that matter any opposition may no longer be the mystery that it once used to be in the days of fewer Test matches and before the Indian Premier League was born. Yet like most visitors, the Kiwi captain Kane Williamson and coach Mike Hesson India consider India in India as the 'big challenge'.
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The 28-year-old Williamson in particular is no stranger to India, Indian cricket and the sub-continent. He made his Under-19 debut against India in New Zealand; and in 2010 a few months after playing his first earning the ODI cap against India in 2010 in a triangular series in Sri Lanka, he made his Test debut in Ahmedabad two months later and scored a century on maiden appearance.
He has also played for Sunrisers in the IPL and yes, it was in India and only this year, that he took over full-time captaincy of New Zealand at the ICC World Twenty20. So, India is not really a mystery, but still a goal to achieve and bastion to conquer – no Kiwi team has won a series here and the last Test they won here was in 1988. Williamson said, "Playing India at home is one of the toughest challenges. As a team we are excited to get involved."
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (left) with coach Mike Hesson at a press conference in New Delhi yesterday. Pic/PTI
Williamson, who belongs to the elite club of only 13 players in history to have a Test century against each of the other Test-playing nations, has of late been put alongside Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith as one of the leading batsmen in the world. He smiles at the comparison but heaps plaudits on his counterpart Kohli.
'Love watching Virat play'
"Virat (Kohli) is a great player. The ability to dominate in all three formats like he does is something very special and certainly something that I admire. I love watching him play," Williamson said. "There are a lot of good players in the Indian team whom we will have to look out for. Virat is one of those players, against whom we have to be at our very best." For many, Williamson may just about be coming out of the shadows of Brendon McCullum in terms of captaincy, but coach Hesson says, "He has seamlessly fitted into the big shoes of the talismanic Brendon McCullum."
Williamson was always being groomed as a future captain. When McCullum stood down or was rested, Williamson would step in. So, by the time he took over the reins full time he had fair experience.
McCullum v Williamson
Hence, Hesson's observation, "Seamless, I think that's the way we would like it to operate. Kane had captained 36 games before he took over full-time. Even when Brendon was captain, Kane came in during tours (as stop gap leader) and it was a seamless change. "Brendon was more high profile while Kane likes to take his own time and take a slightly back seat."
As for the upcoming three-Test series, he added, "In the previous series, spin played a huge part. At times batting was difficult. No doubt it will be bit of a scrap. We have three very good spinners as well. It will be a challenge."
Hesson admitted it was difficult to practice playing against spin before coming over, because it is not possible to replicate the spin friendly conditions of sub-continent. Williamson does hope his spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi will take inspiration of sorts from other foreign spinners to have visited India.
"There have been a number of overseas spinners who done have well in these conditions. Our spin group is young and the challenge is adjusting to a different ball to 'SG Test' from 'Kookaburra'," said Hesson.
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