Why India vs New Zealand is more like India vs CSK
Come Sunday, apart from India which already feels at home in these ‘neutral conditions’, New Zealand too would feel they are in with genuine chance. These conditions, similar to Chepauk, is familiar territory for the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry. Through their long stints with Chennai Super Kings, they would be familiar with the characteristics of the pitches.
This has been the theme of the pitches in Dubai in the in the four Champions Trophy games—slow and sluggish at times; getting slower and slower as the game progresses; a bit of turn to keep the batsmen guessing; low bounce and a decent carry where the wicketkeepers largely collect the ball around the midriff. If Stephen Fleming packs this square and places it at the MA Chidambaram Stadium later this month, CSK would look completely at home.
Prior to this season, which included Tests in Sri Lanka and India and a tri-series and the Champions Trophy, Rachin trained on similar pitches at the CSK Academy in Chennai. On the back of it, he enjoyed a productive outing everywhere and is second-highest run-getter (226 runs) with two centuries in this tournament. Before Rachin, fellow opener Conway trained in Chennai when the IPL was on before joining the Black Caps. “There is definitely some element to it,” Sriram Krishnamurthy, the head coach of CSK Academy, tells The Indian Express.
“Ultimately, we have to understand sometimes the advantages of where they are from. The New Zealand cricket calendar is not as crowded as maybe the English calendar or an Australian one. So, from that perspective, some of these players have windows which they can dedicate to taking their games forward. Ultimately, adapting is only going to happen when you are going to get familiar with conditions,” he explains.
Familiarisation is key, he emphasises. “Maybe like with almost 50% of cricket being played in the subcontinent, they don’t travel to these parts frequently. So, if you are able to familiarise yourself in between, nothing like it. IPL obviously gives some of these players the ability to experience these subcontinental conditions,” says Sriram, who was earlier the coach of Northern Districts in New Zealand domestic circuit.
New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra (SECOND FROM LEFT) celebrates the wicket of South Africa’s Aiden Markram with teammates like Mitchell Santner (LEFT) during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final cricket match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. (AP Photo)
Once here, the likes of Rachin, Conway and Mitchell have ensured they are able to fit their game into what the conditions demand rather than looking for new solutions. While visiting batsmen to Indian shores usually rely extensively on sweeps against spinners, New Zealand have been different. Be it using their feet or covering both their edges and ensuring there is a fine line between attacking and defending, they have emerged successful. Last Sunday against India, their approach was similar only for Varun Chakaravarthy to conjure magic.
Diverse methods
Each has different ways. For Conway, easily the best player against spin amongst them, the challenge according to Sriram has been to understand the conditions. During his time at CSK Academy, Rachin, who prefers playing off the back foot, trained to get used to do it in slow, turning pitches while also learning to use his feet more to get down the pitch. In the absence of a conventional sweep, Rachin learnt to put slog sweep to good effect. Mitchell, with spinners knowing he enjoys the sweeps and reverse-sweeps, looked to come down the pitch more and hit them straight.
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“There is a vast difference to how you play spinners in New Zealand to here. If you have the same game, you will get exposed. When you have multiple options against the same ball, it sort of empowers you to put more pressure on the bowler and that’s what is needed in these conditions. That is the layer they have added to their batting. I think all New Zealand cricketers, ultimately, all pride themselves on being smart. Alongside, they develop the requisite skills that are going to support that thinking,” Sriram says.
Sriram, during his stint with the High Performance Centre in New Zealand, has also seen how creative the Kiwis get in terms of improving their game against the spinners even if it means they have to train indoors during the off season. “If they are coming just three-four days before a tour starts, they don’t give it as an excuse. Their preparation starts with how they get creative with practice in that pre-camp in New Zealand. It might be as simple as just asking for the curators to leave very dry pitches so they can prepare, bat and bowl on dry pitches. If it is an indoor facility, they will spill some sand and gravel on the floor, maybe some nets and nettings too. So ultimately, they don’t complain. They come prepared,” Sriram says.
Of course, this is not just limited to batsmen. Their captain and lead spinner Santner, since the 2018 IPL season, has been Ravindra Jadeja’s understudy. During the IPL months, in each of their training sessions, Santner would keep a close tab on how Jadeja goes about. In five seasons with CSK, he played only 18 matches, but every time he heads back to New Zealand, he has taken home valuable lessons that he has been putting to use here like the subtle variations in speeds. Against South Africa in the semi-finals, Santner used his variation in speed to get rid of Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen.
“When somebody isn’t playing they can easily get distracted and lose sight of the fact that they can still make it productive. When he isn’t playing, his attitude is to see how best he can learn. And obviously having someone like Jadeja at CSK would have definitely helped him because they have similar skills. Previously, he was known to be more of a bowler who can bowl on the quicker side and was not a big turner. But then you look at him for the last 2 or 3 years, you can see he is able to slow the ball down now. He is able to get more turn,” Sriram says.
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Last Sunday against India presented the most challenging conditions they have encountered so far in Dubai. But going into the final against the same opponents, India know they have a real task in their hands and unless they bring out their A-game, New Zealand could after all end up proving their nemesis once again in an ICC event. Those are not misplaced fears or a team that is unbeaten so far trying to be humble. If one team other than India can effortlessly get used to the conditions in Dubai, then it is hard to look beyond New Zealand.
