Can Kiwis compete in the ODIs?

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  • What went wrong for Kane Williamson and co?

    When the Blackcaps landed in Delhi in mid-September, there was an air of expectancy about them. They came to India with a well-rounded squad; a couple of pacers who could move the ball well, a troika of spinners, a shrewd coach, and a world-class batsman who is also rated as an inspiring leader.

    With a long home season setting in, New Zealand were expected to push India. In Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner, they had enough wares to rattle the hosts.

    They were not considered good enough to force a first series win on Indian soil, but the general consensus among those watching beyond the boundary ropes was of a close, fighting contest.

    The end result of the Test series betrayed that. 3-0 is what the history books will say, and the scorecards from Kolkata and Indore will outline resounding defeats handed out in four days. Yes, India were projected to win, just not in the convincing manner that they did. So, what went wrong for the Kiwis?

    It began with their injury woes; even before the teams reached Kanpur, both Southee and James Neesham were ruled out. It obviously disturbed the team balance – Southee pairing up with Boult, with Neesham performing all-rounder duties by being the stock bowler as well as bolstering the middle-order with his batting.

    They had to make do, bringing in Neil Wagner and playing three spinners in the first Test, albeit that would have been their plan all along.

    However, Neesham’s injury did reflect on the obvious flaw in this plan. The lower-order simply didn’t have the wherewithal to cope with the onslaught of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

    Once they got through BJ Watling, there was no stopping the two spinners, and successive collapses in two innings in the first Test proved as much. It put the onus of scoring heavily on their top-order.

    This is where things unravelled in Kolkata, partly down to Kane Williamson’s flu bout.

    Whether at the crease or leading in the field, irrespective of the situation, the skipper remains composed. His mindset is vastly different to that of his predecessor, Brendon McCullum. The former captain had built this team on bravado, mirroring his own game.

    Williamson has different traits. And yet, within a short period, he has gained a near-similar standing in the New Zealand dressing room. There is shrewdness about him, and it is seen amply on the field in the manner he deploys his bowlers.

    It was first noticed in the World T20, when they deployed a spin-heavy attack during their campaign. A similarly astute ploy was expected in this Test series.

    A lack of team balance hampered them in Kanpur, clearly. But the Eden Gardens pitch was more up their alley, given that they deployed three pacers. Here, Williamson’s leadership was missed.

    Matt Henry had a magical effect on their fortunes, and twice in two innings, they had India on the mat. Bombarded by a mix of sharp bouncers and swinging deliveries, the hosts needed Rohit Sharma’s rescue act in the second innings to decisively swing the series in their favour. His partnership with Wriddhiman Saha was the turning point in this series.

    Ross Taylor, who stood in for Williamson in Kolkata, changed around his bowlers when this partnership was developing. It allowed them to get out of jail, and New Zealand lost the plot.

    It appeared that the visitors didn’t have a proper vice-captain in place, and as such Taylor was given the stand-in job.

    Ross Taylor's form is a huge worry for New Zealand

    Ross Taylor’s form is a huge worry for New Zealand

    He scored plenty in Zimbabwe (364 unbeaten in three innings), but since then the runs have dried up against quality attacks of South Africa and India (92 in nine innings).

    Like Taylor, Martin Guptill (two half-centuries in nine innings in 2016) was also afforded plenty of time in the side despite his failures. And this is where the underlying point emerges.

    This New Zealand side needs a serious examination, particularly in the Test arena. There is too much reliance on senior players.

    Perhaps, that also explains how the whole batting line-up collapsed in one session on day four in Indore and saw New Zealand sink to an embarrassing defeat.

    After chasing leather for the better part of four days, they looked like they needed to let off steam and that led to a few rash shots. Williamson later did say that ‘stone-walling for four-plus sessions against the spinners with close-in fielders was impossible’.

    The question to ask then is where do the Blackcaps go from here? In the short term, the upcoming five-match ODI series should help paper over the cracks emerging in their line-up.

    Ask South Africa, and they will tell you that limited-overs pitches in India are quite different from the Test ones. Furthermore, India will be resting their frontline bowlers – Ashwin, Jadeja and Mohammed Shami – for the first three matches.

    Alternately, New Zealand will be bolstered by the inclusion of Corey Anderson, who knows these conditions well, and Southee’s return from injury. Most of all, it is the format itself that will balance the equation between the two sides.

    While the Indian top-order will retain its strength, they can only do so much in a 50-over scenario. Williamson and his side will look to again deploy those clever tactics that got them far in the World T20.

    In the long term, however, their selectors back home need to take another look at their plans ahead for the Kiwis need to rebuild.

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