New Zealand vs India 2020: Kane Williamson to confirm playing XI after having one last look at the pitch
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will be having a decision or two to make regarding the spots in the playing XI ahead of their first Test against India at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Williamson believes that there is a need to look at the condition of the pitch before finalizing the team that will take the field.
“We just want to have another look at this surface,” Williamson told Reuters.
“It’s got a different look to what we’re used to seeing here at the Basin,” he added.
First-choice pacer Neil Wagner has been ruled out of the first Test as he is awaiting the birth of his first child. This means that the lanky Kyle Jamieson is likely to be handed his Test debut (even though Matt Henry had been roped in as a cover for Wagner).
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Williamson understood the importance of Wagner's absence and expressed his views on it, saying:
“The qualities that he (Wagner) brings are quite unique but you then bring in a guy (Jamieson) who targets slightly different areas, coming from a slightly different height as well."
It will also be interesting to see whether New Zealand will play a spinner in the form of Ajaz Patel or will they go for an all-pace attack with the all-round options of Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell.
With the breeze being a huge factor and the pitch likely to be grassy, the Basin Reserve is set to offer a challenging Test to batsmen and it will be exciting to see whether both the teams live up to the challenge.