WTC Final: What is Kane Williamson's best Test knock against India?
The Southampton Test finally moved forward progressively on Day three after several weather interruptions on the first two days of play. New Zealand are certainly ahead of India after Sunday, courtesy of a phenomenal swing bowling display by their pacers. Kyle Jamieson, in particular, was sensational with the ball.
The lanky medium pacer was relentless throughout with his impeccable lines. Jamieson varied his lengths perfectly and extracted enough swing to rattle the defenses of the Indians. He picked up crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant, among others, to derail India's progress significantly.
Jamieson ended up with outstanding figures of 5/31 in the first innings. It was his fifth five-wicket haul in the eight Tests he has played so far. Boult (2/47), Wagner (2/40), and Southee (1/64) played supporting roles to the tall pacer.
Later the Kiwi batsmen displayed good application so that the bowlers' hard work would not go in vain. Openers Tom Latham (30 in 104 balls) and Devon Conway (54 in 153 balls) respected the conditions and played responsibly by putting on a 70-run stand that lasted 34 overs. Ravichandran Ashwin gave India their first breakthrough in the 35th over when he dismissed Latham, who was caught by Virat Kohli while trying to drive the ball.
Ishant Sharma gave India a second wicket just before play got stopped due to bad light. He dismissed the only batsman in the Test to have made a half-century so far, Devon Conway.
At stumps, Kane Williamson (12 in 37 balls) and Ross Taylor (0 in 2 balls) remained unbeaten with New Zealand at 101/2. They will be looking to pile up more runs and attain a lead in the first innings to gain the advantage in the WTC final. Needless to say, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor's contributions will be crucial for the Kiwis to accomplish that.
On that note, here we revisit Kane Williamson's highest Test knock against India:
Kane Williamson's 131 helped New Zealand fight back against India in the Ahmedabad Test in 2010
The Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad was the venue for the first Test during New Zealand's India tour in 2010. It was also Kane Williamson's match debut in Test cricket. MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first on a typical Indian surface.
Virender Sehwag (173) and Rahul Dravid (104) helped India post 487 in the first innings. Harbhajan Singh also chipped in with an attacking 69 (in 97 balls) in the end.
In reply, the Daniel Vettori-led side looked in trouble with 137/4 on board after losing all of their top-order batsmen. At this stage, Jesse Ryder (103) joined hands with debutant Kane Williamson and stitched a memorable 194-run partnership to steer their team out of a difficult situation. New Zealand managed to post a healthy 459 due to the duo's efforts.
Kane Williamson played with exceptional control during this knock and demonstrated his fortitude by playing wonderfully against a quality Indian attack in his very first Test innings. He used his wrists to good effect and scored the majority of his runs with leg glances.
Williamson's fabulous knock comprised 10 hits to the fence. New Zealand later managed to draw the match due to pacer Chris Martin's (5/63) wonderful spell in the second innings.
Kane Williamson has one of the most compact techniques in the game today. Kiwi fans will be hoping for their skipper to continue batting for a longer period in the first innings, as it will give the team the upper hand in the WTC final.