New Zealand have recently thrashed India in the ODI series by 3-0. After that, captain Kane Williamson said on Tuesday that he is hoping for a full-strength squad for the upcoming Test series against India. Despite having faced a 0-5 series whitewash in T20Is, they bounced back pretty well.
“We are expecting all of those guys to be fit for the first Test and they’ve been tracking nicely. It’s an exciting opportunity against one of the best sides in the world,” Williamson said.
“It’s part and parcel of the game that you get guys who get injuries. We’ve obviously had a lot of that in recent times to deal with but there have not been any excuses.”
“Guys have come in to try and play the roles that they’re given to the best of their ability and learnt a heap along the way,” he added.
Although there is no similarity between two formats, Kane Williamson expects to carry forward their form in the Tests which will begin in Wellington on February 21.
“Obviously, a different side and a different format. Throughout a series you’re always trying to touch on areas as a group. It’s a different format but there are some parts guys will get confidence from going into that series. The focus does change but I know the guys are looking forward to that series,” he shared.
However, he praised the team’s effort in their first ODI series whitewash since 1989. New Zealand played the ODI series without their key players – Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. Even Williamson too wasn’t feature in the first 2 ODIs due to injury.
“Although we were 2-0 going up into this, there were certainly those expectations coming into this game to try and implement those things and also learn from those past performances that we had against India who are obviously one of the best sides in the world,” he expressed.
“It was an outstanding effort and a very clinical effort from the guys and I think the way we fought back with the ball was outstanding and the partnerships throughout that chase were brilliant as well. It’s obviously disappointing when you lose. You always want to win. But there were a heap of good things in the T20I series. We all saw the fine margins that were out there in terms of the results,” he told.
He also said that New Zealand played smartly played against Indian bowlers and put pressure on them as well. Meanwhile, India’s key pacer Jasprit Bumrah who went wicketless in the ODI series.
“We know that Bumrah is a world-class bowler in all of the formats. So he’s a threat when he has a ball in his hand but I think there’s too much to look into it. He’s obviously back into his cricket after a period of time off as well. But from what I saw, he’s bowling very nicely,” Kane Williamson concluded.
