It will be tough to face Kuldeep, Chahal, says skipper Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said it would be a tall ask for the visitors to tackle the guile of young Indian spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in the upcoming limited-overs series.

“Both (Kuldeep and Chahal) are very talented bowlers. Their exposure in the IPL has been huge for them and pushed their case to play for India. They both have been very successful. We know it will be a tough challenge, but one that guys are looking forward to,” Williamson told reporters here.

“It’s not too many Chinaman bowlers going around and those coming in have all been fairly successful. It’s a challenge that the guys are looking forward to,” said Williamson referring to Kuldeep.

“Obviously their (Kuldeep and Chahal’s) skill sets are very good, but it’s important how we adapt to the surfaces,” he added.

India have dropped senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the three-match ODI series commencing here on October 2 and included Kuldeep, Chahal and left-arm orthodox spinner Axar Patel.

Asked whether he was surprised to see the exclusion of established duo from the Indian team, the Kiwi captain said, “There are so many quality players within the Indian squad and they have been playing so much cricket lately that it’s only natural that certain players are rested at certain times.”

“At times, throughout the summer, when we had busy schedules we did the same thing. It’s impossible for everyone to play all formats all the time because the schedule is so dense. It’s the nature of it, but you always know that the team India put out will be very strong.”

Kuldeep impressed in the ODI series against Australia and became the third Indian bowler to take a hat-trick.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said that his players had faced Kuldeep during the IPL and it was a plus point for the visiting team.

“It’s a very individual thing. A number of players have faced Kuldeep during the IPL. Some of them played in the same team (Kolkata Knight Riders), so there’s enough information sharing going on there,” said Hesson.

Recalling their 2-3 loss against India on the previous visit last year, Williamson said, “It’s always a tough tour coming to India as a lot of oppositions have found in recent times. To be 2-all going into that last game (at Vishakapatnam) a year ago was a good effort. We played some good cricket, but I don’t think we displayed a complete performance going into the last game.”

Praise for Pandya

Exciting all-rounder Hardik Pandya is a vital cog lending balance to the Indian squad, said Williamson.

“Certainly in the last year or two, he’s been playing outstandingly well. We saw it in the IPL. And even in the series against us, he bowled very well. Now, we’re seeing him come along with the bat and making contributions that any team would be pretty happy to have from their all-rounder,” said Williamson ahead of the limited over series against the hosts.

“He’s a very vital player for the Indian side in terms of a fast bowling all-rounder that I suppose in these conditions, it accommodates the spinners so much, but to have a fast bowling all-rounder that bowls good pace and hits it out of the park is always exciting to have,” added Williamson.