JOIN USExecution of sweep was key: McMillan
Kane Williamson and Tom Latham stood out with their impressive execution of sweep shots and use of crease, the two things their batting coach Craig McMillan, admitted on Friday, to be crucial in excelling against quality spinners in India.
“It's a very individual thing but I think use of the feet and sweep shot are really important to being successful in India. Some of our guys do it. You saw Kane and Tom were quite comfortable playing the sweep today. Other guys in our side are not as comfortable. So it's really individual thing but I think when you are facing quality spinners then it's an important shot to have,” McMillan said.
Williamson and Latham struck an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 117 on second day of the first Test and McMillan felt the discipline in their batting played a key role in forging the century partnership.
“We 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. They soaked the pressure throughout the innings. Whenever they got the scoring opportunity, they made the most of it,” he said.
“Both Kane and Tom used their depth of the crease really well which I guess is the key to picking the length early. If you pick up the length early then I think you can come forward and go back.”
India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said it was not time to press the panic button yet. “We have just bowled 45 overs so far and in those overs bowlers have made a good effort. The game is only two days old, did not have even six sessions of play,” Bangar said.
“For new batsmen, it will be a struggle. In second session we bowled well. Spinners and pacers kept the batsmen under pressure. It’s a matter of one wicket. We have to be patient. We will have to wait for that one breakthrough.”
Bangar said New Zealand applied themselves well. “Every touring team comes out with a plan. They applied themselves well. If you go back into the game, we were in a similar position.
“Ideally we would have loved to have the number of overs we lost today. It had started to turn a bit, bowlers were getting into good rhythm. The break of rain and intermittent breaks in between, definitely hampered the rhythm of our bowlers.”