CHENNAI: Different teams use different strategies to counter their opponent bowlers. It is no secret that pitches in India, in particular the World Cup have been aiding spinners. So every team's top batters have to come up with a strategy to counter spin.
Tom Latham captain of New Zealand had said before the game against Afghanistan that some of his batters would like to play the sweep shot against spinners, while most would like to step out in order to counter it. Against Afghanistan, the Kiwi batters stepped out and negotiated the Afghanistan spinners with ease. They planned and handled deftly the threat from Rashid Khan.
The Kiwis were aware of the dangers that spin wizard Rashid Khan poses as a bowler, so the New Zealand batters tried to work through his spell and were able to nullify the threat during their 149-run win over Afghanistan. Rashid could manage figures of 1 for 43 in his 10 overs, while a couple of dropped chances against his bowling hurt his spell too.
''Everyone plans against Rashid as best as they can. Sometimes, he has an unbelievable day, and he's just unplayable regardless of how much you plan," said Glenn Phillips. "We understood that if we could keep him quiet, it would allow us to take on other bowlers. I have seen batters taking on Rashid really well, besides also seeing others struggle against him. We have realised that we need to work through his spell. It's a cool challenge every time you face him. He bowled incredibly well, but I believe that we nullified his threat." added the all-rounder.
Phillips played a knock of 71 and was involved in a partnership of 144 runs with skipper Tom Latham (68) allowing them to recover from 110 for 4 and post a competitive total of 288 for 6 against Afghanistan.
Keeping the New Zealand thought process in mind, one can be assured that they are sure to nullify and try to keep Kuldeep Yadav quiet when they play against India at Dharamshala on Sunday.
Many teams have always found Kuldeep Yadav a difficult customer to deal with. Yadav with his variety and variations had foxed many a batter into submission. So he will definitely be targeted. The Kiwis will tread cautiously initially and then try to step out and counter the spinner. Kiwi all-rounder Mark Chapman is excited to play at Dharamsala and contribute to his team where the contest is billed as a final before the final.
''I am excited to play at Dharamsala, it's a beautiful ground with beautiful scenes. I have played there once, probably a warm-up game against Hong Kong in 2016, so looking forward to it," said Chapman. Chapman slammed 25 off 12 balls with the help of a six and two fours to swell New Zealand's innings against Afghanistan to revel in his role as finisher.
''I have played a lot more T20 cricket for New Zealand than one-day cricket, so batting down the lower order and doing the right things helps you. I guess it's all about playing as per the team's requirements. As for me against Afghanistan was not the day to act as a finisher, but rather bat as long as possible and post a defendable total," said Chapman, insisting that his team would do well against India.