‘Can learn a lot in first hour of a Test’ – Williamson

Jumping at shadows, as in avoid doing it. On successive days, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and captain Kane Williamson have used the same exact words. Don’t manufacture trouble. Play the ball, not the pitch. Teams are quite aware of this when they come to India, but once one turns sharply away and another goes straight on – sometimes with even the bowler not knowing how – the shadows of close-in fielders and the ferocious appeals can all get to you. The heat and the noise can leave you delirious; even those who have played on these pitches all their lives can struggle. New Zealand have only had four training sessions and a three-day warm-up game, at a completely different venue.

Adapting, quick thinking, communication, competitiveness and taking matches deep would be key, according to New Zealand’s captain and coach. “You certainly don’t want to jump at shadows,” Williamson said when asked if all the talk around the pitches can cloud the team’s thinking. “You do want to go into the matches as educated as you can be to try and apply your plans. That’s where it is important for experience among players to come into it. Bowlers, batters to adjust quickly. You do learn a lot in the first hour of a Test match. It’s important you adapt quickly in those conditions to get the best out of them.”

The test of this resolve would come when New Zealand lose their first wicket to extraordinary bounce or turn. What it would do to the batsman walking out and the others getting ready for their turn could define this series. Tests in India …

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