India vs New Zealand 2021: 3 ways to dismiss Kane Williamson early
Kane Williamson, with his penchant for big scores and mountain loads of runs, will be a dangerman for India when they face New Zealand. The match will take place on Thursday (November 23) in the first of the two-match Test series at Kanpur.
Williamson was rested from the recently-concluded T20I series, which India won 3-0. The NZ batter will look to stamp his authority in the test series. He will look to get the better of India again after beating them in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
That said, India have played quite a few games against Williamson knowing his pressure points. They will look to send him trudging back to the dugout early on.
We take a look at some of the tactics India can use to get the better of Kane Williamson.
#1 Bang the ball short early on
Kane Williamson is not a slouch when it comes to playing with the short ball. Across his Test career, the New Zealand skipper has been hugely successful in dealing with bouncers.
However, he has started to struggle more against short-pitched bowling in recent times. Williamson averages around 90 short balls per dismissal, but that number has dipped to 60 in the past few years.
Indian bowlers will find this tactic useful. A barrage of short balls early on will likely see the chance of the batter playing a false shot.
#2 Make it R Ashwin vs Kane Williamson
Since Pragyan Ojha (5), R Ashwin has been one of India's bowlers to get the better of the Kiwi stalwart.
He's dismissed Kane Williamson five times so far in all of their encounters in Test cricket so far. Former India seamer Zaheer Khan has been the last pacer to dismiss him four times.
#3 Pace to get Kane Williamson to nick one to the keeper
Kane Williamson has been caught behind in 26.1% of his dismissals against the pacers. Whether it's sheer pace, the odd bouncer or plain swing, Williamson has shown some susceptibility to fast bowling. That's an advantage considering the pace attack India have at their disposal.
Speaking of percentages, Williamson has been bowled 19 times, accounting to 14.5% and caught 56 times (42.7%). His 18 LBW dismissals make up for 13.7%. However, sheer pace seems to be a better bet.