Rachin Ravindra and Tom Latham believe their squad can adjust, but they don’t want to enter the game with “too many preconceived ideas.”
New Zealand has downplayed the rumors that the Pune pitch will have a sluggish, dry, black-soil surface, but if the weather turns out to be really bad and the ball goes square from the first day, it might also work in the visitors’ favor with their spinners. Tom Latham, their captain, made this opinion the night before the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium’s second Test match against India.
“I guess whatever we’re presented with, it’s about, for us, trying to adapt as quick as we can; that’s something that we can’t control with the wicket,” said Latham.We have four spinners in our lineup, so hopefully that will work in their favor. However, as I mentioned earlier, it’s about trying to adjust on the fly and avoid entering the game with too many preconceived notions. It’s about trying to go out there and try to adapt as quickly as possible.Rachin Ravindra, an all-rounder and one of New Zealand’s spin options, concurred with his captain. In 2017, Pune’s sharp turner backfired on India, as left-arm fingerspinner Steve O’Keefe spun Australia to victory in three days. O’Keefe claimed 12 wickets, more than Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin combined.
“If it’s an extreme wicket, it almost brings us into the game more,” Ravindra stated. “After you win the toss, you suddenly take a few wickets and start the game on a track that is quite turning and spicy. It’s about embracing the situation as a team. That is unchangeable. We have no control over the wickets they will use. However, we have power over our mindset, our method, and every posture we take with the bat or ball consistency. We look forward to the challenge, no matter what it is.
The first innings in seaming conditions did not require any of the three spinners that New Zealand had selected for the first Test match in Bengaluru. However, they might have a far greater burden in Pune for both innings. In addition, if circumstances demand it, New Zealand is willing to choose an additional spinner rather than a seamer.
Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, a left-arm fingerspinner, are their other alternatives since offspin-bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell has returned home to give birth to his second child.
