Rankings in sports can sometimes mislead. Test cricket is a condition-specific sport, and success in alien, overseas conditions has been a rarity of late.
When New Zealand beat India in the final to win the World Test Championship this year, the cricket fraternity was abuzz with questions. What if England played fewer Tests per series? What if Australia had not conceded points for over rates against India? How many series have New Zealand won outside home?
New Zealand fans can argue that their team has won two series (home and away) against England. Neither series was considered for WTC. But then there are not enough New Zealand cricket fans. And many of the handful that exist love New Zealand for their niceness, and the perception that they punch above their weight.
On Day 2 of the Kanpur Test, New Zealand exhibited their professional brand of cricket that supersedes the other perceptions. That is something Kane Williamson’s troops would like to be known for.
On Day 3, New Zealand have the opportunity to justify their top-rank tag in Test cricket and prove to the world why they are the world champions in the format. Not many visitors have tested India as they have in the ongoing Kanpur Test.
India were 258/4 at stumps on Day 1. On Day 2, they managed 87/6 and New Zealand 129/0.
On a smoggy morning, it started with Tim Southee’s spell – one of the finest by a visiting pacer in India. A favourable result for New Zealand can put this right at the top alongside the heroics of Dale Steyn, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee.
But Southee (5-69) is not one for the billboards. He is often perceived as another New Zealander who ‘punches’ above the weight'. He does not draw as many accolades as the more celebrated Trent Boult.
Am I surprised? Did I not predict the script in the Day Two preview on Thursday? If numbers are what define this sport, Southee does not surprise me. But perceptions do.
Since 2018, with bowlers over 100 Test wickets, Southee’s average of 21.5 is only next to Cummins.
— Suvajit Mustafi (@RibsGully) November 26, 2021
The others in the list are Broad, Lyon, Anderson, Ashwin, Rabada, Bumrah and Shami.
This shows how underrated is #TimSouthee.#INDvNZ
Pitches are among the most common talking points during Test matches in India. Some have described them as ‘diabolical’. Michael Vaughan usually gets creative with his graphics while describing them. The Green Park track gripped, turned square at times, even kept low, but Tom Latham (50*) and Will Young (75*) found ways to negotiate five very good Indian bowlers.
Trivia: Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja were unbeaten on 75 and 50, respectively, after Day One, the same scores as Young and Latham. Iyer and Jadeja share birthdays (December 6). Young and Latham share birth years (1992).
Young displayed immense maturity for someone playing his first innings in India. Latham’s skills against spin, on the other hand, are well-known. He had impressed on the 2016/17 tour as well.
With Williamson and Ross Taylor to follow, the New Zealand batters have enough experience in the middle-order. Still, there is no guarantee that Axar Patel, R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will not trigger a collapse. The cracks will only widen, and we saw Ashwin trouble Latham in the final session. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, too, are capable of doing a Southee early on Day 3.
One good session, and India will make the lead look like a mountain to climb. This is perhaps New Zealand’s chance to do an Edmund Hillary and topple every rock. They have a habit of keeping businesses unfinished. If they can level the odds here, they may find themselves at the brink of history. They have not won a Test match in India in 33 years.
For India, the shining point was Iyer’s hundred on Test debut. He became the 15th Indian to achieve the feat. The resistance from Ashwin and Umesh the bat made the difference between 320 and 345.
In what has been a fascinating Test match, there is a lot to look forward to on Day Three. Can Ashwin turn it India’s way? Will Williamson prove his actual worth on Indian soil? An average of 35 in India for a champion player of spin does not read right...