Picking the Right Delivery: Guptill Highlights Key Challenge for NZ in India

Martin Guptill, a former Black Caps opener, believes that the main problem for the New Zealand hitters on their next Test tour of India would be finding the turning ball and more so the odd one that slips through.

Three Test matches between India and New Zealand, the victors of the 2019–21 World Test Championship, will take place starting on October 16 in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai.

The worst thing about coming to India is that sometimes you feel like you can never win. The ball is turning square, and then another ball of the same kind comes through and skids straight ahead.

In an exclusive interview with PTI on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket, Guptill said, “You never know which one’s going to turn and which one’s going to go straight, so you have to always be thinking, you have to always be mentally on song and on (the top of) your game.”

Guptill emphasized the significance of maintaining the lead against India, who have won their last 17 series at home.

It’s quite challenging to try and dominate India. However, you have to strive to prolong that in the game as long as you can when you feel like you are,” he remarked.

It’s not an easy location to play. You feel like everything is against you and it’s hot and muggy. However, as I previously stated, you must attempt to play as deep into the game as you can if you can try to dominate them and feel like you are doing so,” the former opener continued.

Guptill stated that it is difficult to determine whether of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah poses the most threat to the Kiwis given their present form.

“The two of them. You mean to take away that (Ravindra) Jadeja received an 86, 89, or something like that, isn’t that possible?

“You think you’ve got India against the ropes, and then these two come out and bat,” the bowler said after their partnership of 199 runs.

In the first Test match between India and Bangladesh in Chennai, the hosts were down to 144 for six on the opening day until Jadeja and Ashwin’s 199-run partnership for the seventh wicket turned the tide against the Tigers.

“Ashwin goes about his work in a completely different way and is very effective in the way he scores his runs, even though Jadeja is probably the better batter,” he remarked.

“Due to their depth and, of course, their partnership with the ball, you never feel like you’re winning against India,” he remarked.

Guptill claimed that the current seam attack lacked the added pace of young Kiwi pacer Will O Rourke, who tormented the Sri Lankan batsmen by taking eight wickets in the Galle Test.

“When I played him for the first time, maybe three years ago, I was incredibly pleased with his bowling. For him to have improved more in the last couple of years and get his chance in Test cricket, man, he’s had a really terrific start,” he said.

“He has a bit more height than some of our bowlers, and that extra pace behind him gives him that little bit extra bounce, which helps a lot more on our wickets at home than maybe what it does here in the subcontinent,” Guptill continued.

Guptill acknowledged that the Kiwis’ Test team is about to undergo change, but he also stated that it will take time to see if the younger players can replace players like Kane Williamson.

Time will tell, I suppose. I’m not able to remark on that right now. He remarked, “You know whether these new players are up to it or not until they come through and start playing.

“It will take time for them, I suppose, once Kane and the likes have finished playing and these new guys come in,” he remarked.

The post Picking the Right Delivery: Guptill Highlights Key Challenge for NZ in India appeared first on Cricket Country.