It’s one thing to foot it with the best in their own conditions, it’s another to do it every session, every hour and every over of a five day Test match.
That’s the challenge ahead of the BLACKCAPS in their second rubber against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday (5pm NZT).
The visitors pushed the Indians in the first Test in Kanpur, but opening bat Tom Latham knows they need to find another gear to do more than just compete.
“We weren’t too far away,” Latham said of the first Test.
“The first couple of days we played some really good cricket and heading into day three we probably had the upper hand, but it slipped away. We just didn’t do things for long enough, so hopefully we can change that this Test.”
It’s a classic case of easier said than done for the BLACKCAPS, especially with just a three day turnaround between Tests.
“They’re world class bowlers and they bowl long spells in these conditions. The heat also makes it difficult and the longer you bat the harder it gets, but this is all stuff we knew coming in, so it’s about keeping on top of the hydration and hopefully from that we can make clear decisions for longer.”
The BLACKCAPS captured 15 Indian wickets in Kanpur and Latham feels the bowlers will need to target batsmen early.
“Starting on these surfaces is the toughest thing, so if we can apply pressure in the fist 10-20 balls to those new batsmen then hopefully we give ourselves a good chance of getting them out early. But we’ve just got to keep doing our thing and do it better for longer.
Speaking on game eve to around 70 reporters and 15 television cameras, the 24 year old said he was well aware of the occasion.
“It’s a great ground and one of the big ones in India so I’m really looking forward to getting out there and getting stuck in.
“This is the most people I’ve had to a media conference. We know how passionate Indians are about cricket and that’s fantastic and we knew it was going to be like this so it’s great to see the amount of interest and the love for cricket.
“There will be a lot of people here tomorrow and over the coming five days so we’re looking forward to a great occasion.”
