McMillan: 'Williamson and Latham played spin really well'

"Being comfortable when ball beats the outside edge and not getting worried about that is important. They soaked the pressure throughout the innings. Whenever they got the scoring opportunity, they made the most of it," New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan said.

Published : Sep 23, 2016 17:42 IST , Kanpur

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson plays the waiting game against Ravichandran Ashwin as wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and Indian captain Virat Kohli look on, at the Green Park on Friday.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson plays the waiting game against Ravichandran Ashwin as wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and Indian captain Virat Kohli look on, at the Green Park on Friday.
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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson plays the waiting game against Ravichandran Ashwin as wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and Indian captain Virat Kohli look on, at the Green Park on Friday.

New Zealand’s batting coach Craig McMillan was a happy man after the second day’s play here. The Black Caps, responding to India’s 318, made 152 losing only Martin Guptill. Skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham thwarted a persistent Indian bowling to put on a century stand. McMillan lauded them for countering the Indian spinners. He also spoke about Ravindra Jadeja, New Zealand’s bowlers among other things. >Match report

Excerpts:

On the second day:

Yeah. It was a good day of Test cricket. Tom Latham and Kane Williamson were disciplined. We stuck to the game plans. When the Indian bowlers missed, we attacked. The rotation of strike in the left-right combination throughout the day was key. The surface is still playing pretty well. They got a few balls to spin late in the day. All in all, the discipline of both these guys (Latham and Williamson) in the partnership was crucial.

On Latham and Williamson countering spin:

Yes, that’s part of playing in India. Two spinners who know the conditions really well, challenge you at different times. So, mentally, it’s difficult there to not get flustered. Being comfortable when ball beats the outside edge and not getting worried about that is important. They soaked the pressure throughout the innings. Whenever they got the scoring opportunity, they made the most of it.

On Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling:

Well, it’s hard to pick him. He bowls such a consistent line and length. He offers a lot of challenges. Our guys have used the depth of the crease very well and picked the length throughout.

On Jadeja completing his overs quickly:

He’s got one of the shortest run ups in world cricket, doesn’t he? So, it doesn’t take long before he gets through his over. But as a batsman, you don’t rush. And you’re taking your time. But it’s difficult when a guy has such a short run-up. Our guys, however, did well.

On the rain break:

It’s frustrating. But this is what happens at times around the world. We resume tomorrow and play an extra half hour.

On New Zealand employing the sweep shots:

It's a very individual thing but I think using the feet and sweep shots are really important to being successful in India. You saw Kane and Tom were quite comfortable playing the sweep today. Other guys in our side are not as comfortable.

On playing five bowlers:

I thought as a bowling group, all five of them did a good job. We did not rely on one or two guys to do the work, Kane could keep chopping and changing the bowlers because he had five. I think that worked really well for us in the first innings and I hope it works in the second.

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