5 key battles to watch out for in the upcoming New Zealand tour of India
It is often said that cricket is a team game. But most often, it is the battle between a batsman and a bowler. And the upcoming NZ’s tour of India is not expected to be much different. It will be interesting to see who all have the skill, grittiness and temperament to withstand the spinners, who can turn the bowl square, under the blazing hot sky. Batting in India would not be a walk in the park, especially for a team that hasn’t had much experience in rank turners.
However, even with their limited resources, the Kiwis have done exceptionally well the last time they faced India in India in an international match. The Kiwis are stronger than ever and will be determined to make a mark in this series and become an epitome to other non-Asian teams touring the sub-continent. They have good batsmen, quality spinners, workhorse seamers, a brilliant wicket-keeper batsman and an excellent captain.
But the question is, who all can perform up to their mark when it matters the most. Who all can tackle their major threats, in a condition unfamiliar to them?
Here are 5 key battles to watch out for in the upcoming New Zealand tour of India.
#5 Mitchell Santner vs Ajinkya Rahane
The bowler in form up against the batsman in form. Mitchell Santner has proved himself in India as a quality bowler when he became the leading wicket-taker of the 2016 ICC World T20 main stage. On the other hand, Ajinkya Rahane scored a couple of brilliant centuries in his last Test in India, in a series where no one else could rack up even a single century to their name.
Rahane is a tough batsman to get out. Once he gets set, he rarely makes a mistake. So the Kiwis would be planning to get him out cheaply in the early part of his innings, where he looked fragile throughout in all the previous home series’. And who else can do it better than Santner? The Kiwi slip cordon, which is one of the best in the world at the moment, will ensure that Rahane wouldn’t get much room for error.
So the battle between two talented youngsters is on the cards and will hopefully result in a healthy and quality display of cricket