Martin Guptill only one innings away from unlocking Test potential, warns Kiwi batting coach
Despite being one of the most dangerous limited-overs batsmen at the moment, Martin Guptill is finding it difficult to tackle the red-ball. Ahead of a daunting prospect of involving accomplished spinners on turning pitches, the opener has found the backing of New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan.
Speaking to NZ Herald, the former batsman pointed out the benefits of Guptill’s dynamic stroke-play and believed that a game-changing knock could give him the much needed confidence to thrive in Test cricket.
With the first Test against India beginning on the 22nd at Green Park Stadium, McMillian felt, “More than anything technical, it's mental. I feel he's only one innings away from unlocking that. Obviously, you want that one innings to be in the first test.”
Interestingly, Guptill made his Test debut against India at Hamilton in 2009. While he has grown from strength to strength in both ODIs and T20Is, success in the sport’s traditional format continues to elude him.
Head coach Mike Hesson as well as the selectors have indicated that this could be a make or break series for him. But, the warm-up match against Mumbai at Feroz Shah Kotla did not exactly go according to plan. While the rest of the batsmen were able to spend some time in the middle, Guptill was dismissed for just 15 in the first-innings.
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A veteran of 55 Tests, McMillan admitted, “The selectors have shown a lot of confidence in him. (But) he needs to put a score on the board. He's so dynamic at the top. There are only a certain number of players around the world who can, within a session, put the opposition under immense pressure and he's certainly one of them which is why he's been given that run at top of the order.”
He added, “It works pretty well in the nets. But, once you get over the white line, that's where we need (to see) that mental edge from him. For any batsman, runs are your currency. Batting at the top of the order is difficult, but he certainly has the skills and tools to do it well.”
Having played 44 Tests and only managing an average of 29.59, Guptill will be hoping to repay the faith shown by the team management and begin the 3-match series with a confident showing in Kanpur.