Kane Williamson flashed a smile before getting down to answering questions. He was pleased by his team’s 2-0 sweep over the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world; his visage mirrored a sense of contentment.
This was New Zealand’s sixth straight Test series win at home and even in his moment of triumph, Williamson was measured and insightful with his views. No brave talk, just plain common sense.
It was a lot like his flowing batting and smart captaincy. No fancy stuff; just hard substance.
The New Zealand captain said, “An outstanding performance. I don’t think the result reflects how competitive this match was. Perhaps another 50 more runs from the Indians would have made it quite a balanced-looking game.”
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Williamson said his team had stepped up after the debacle against Australia. “We all know how strong India are all around the world and there has been a lot of talk about their pace bowling attack and they certainly showed their quality in this series. A lot to take from the series against the best team in the world at the moment.”
About batting on seaming tracks with bounce, he observed: “The conditions were a massive factor. Even if you do adapt quickly, you may still have a good ball with your name on it.”
On playing England, Australia and India in back-to-back Test series, he said, “Probably the three top Test teams in the world. Disappointing showing in Australia but then at the same time it was important that we continued to play the style of cricket that wins us matches at home.”
Queried on Trent Boult’s magnificent bowling, he said: “He’s a fantastic bowler and when the ball is moving he’s a great exponent of putting it in the right area from that left-armer’s angle and getting that movement. Whether in the nets or it’s out in the middle.”
On Kyle Jamieson development as an all-rounder, the Kiwi skipper said, “He is batting beautifully and obviously can truly bat in terms of technique and how he looks to approach his innings. His runs were very valuable. As a bowler, it’s not only his height and the bounce that he gets but he bowls a very, very good line to challenge guys around the fourth stump.”
Although the toss was important, Williamson felt the spin of the coin was not the only factor in the series. “The ball moved considerably throughout the two games. So bowling first was not the game. Both teams were able to generate that movement as the ball moved throughout.”
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