India vs New Zealand 1st Test: The Tom Latham approach to Test cricket

Tom Latham reached his half-century off 119 balls. There was nothing modern about the innings. He took his time. He passed the test of endurance.

Indian spinners were expected to obliterate New Zealand. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were itching to break apart New Zealand’s batting unit. The only threat was the talismanic Kane Williamson. Stylish, elegant and technically immaculate, Williamson is like a road obstacle for any any opposition. He made his debut against India and scored a stupefying hundred. He, in fact, has lived up to the arduous expectations, scoring an unbeaten 65 off 115 inclusive of 7 fours, against India in the first Test at Kanpur. His footwork was peerless against both spin and pace. This very fact must have put the reckless Indian batsmen to shame. Williamson, a New Zealander, unfolded on a typical subcontinental wicket.

Amidst the Williamson show there was a batsman who nearly emulated Williamson’s vigour. He may not be as classy and attractive as Williamson but was equally impactful. For the past few years, we have been seeing Williamson take the centre stage. The team is in trouble, and Williamson lifts them out of the woods. Meanwhile, there was another batsman who was, without stealing any thunder, stamping his mark in the Black Caps line-up. He was dealing in centuries and half-centuries. However, he still played second fiddle to Kane Williamson. He is Tom Latham, who reduced Indian unit to meritocracy on Day Two.

Son of former New Zealand cricketer Rod Latham, he lives and breathes cricket. That, as a matter of fact, reflects in his game. He is only 24. He has 5 hundreds and 8 fifties to his name from 22 Tests. He blossomed under the wings of Brendon McCullum, who oozed aggression and belligerence. Latham, nonetheless, is cool, calm and composed (a cliché that we learnt from Ravi Shastri and others). Also read: Rain plays spoilsport as Kiwis dominate

Latham’s batsmanship is similar to his personality: cool as a cucumber (another cliché before you point out). He made his international debut at the age of 19, in an ODI. He was labelled promising. Blame his performance that he was burdened with expectations.

New Zealand, for the past decade, struggled filling the opener’s spot. Yes, they had Martin Guptill in their armoury. But they needed someone armed with rock-solid technique. More importantly, they needed someone who has the temperament to play long innings, for New Zealand always yielded players who follow the attacking brand of cricket.

Latham is different. He is patient. He has a zen-like focus. Above all, he seems unaffected in pressure situations.

He made his Test debut against India in 2014 at Wellington. He was sent at No. 4, below Williamson. 9 deliveries and Latham was yet to open his account in the longest format. Ishant Sharma had kept him at bay thus far. Like every other debutant, Latham looked anxious.

Ishant ran in hard and bowled a back-of-length delivery. The ball seamed away, producing an outside edge. MS Dhoni, behind the wickets, made no mistake to pouch it. Latham went on a duck. His dream debut was turned into a nightmare. In the second innings, he played a 29-run knock. He struck three delightful boundaries, out of which two came against Zaheer Khan. Also read: How Kane Williamson mastered Indian bowlers

After the India series, he was picked for the West Indies tour. He scored 3 consecutive half-centuries. The hunt for a dependable opener almost came to an end. Even though he is a laidback guy, he takes no half chances. He scored centuries in consecutive matches in UAE, becoming the first New Zealand batsman to achieve the feat in 24 years.

For past half a decade, barring England in 2011-12, other countries failed to churn out runs with ease in India. They are often seen to stutter against spin. Even the likes of Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers were trimmed down to ordinary batsmen. Latham, on the other hand, looked surprisingly comfortable.

His first boundary was a delight to watch. It was a slightly over-pitched delivery outside off. Instead of leaving it alone, he eased it through point. His trademark shot, the square drive. To play such shot early on needs audacity. However, more than courage, it is the execution that matters.

Latham looked well prepared to bat in such conditions. However, his next boundary was a thick outside edge, past gully. He had a smile on his face. He knew he hurried into it. He went for the drive despite the ball moving away from it. He knew he disregarded the element of risk.

Virat Kohli counterattacked by introducing Jadeja from the other end. There was a slip, a leg-slip and a forward short-leg. Jadeja persistently bowled on middle-and-off. Instead of defending it, Latham swept to fine-leg with grace. All the same, when the trajectory was flatter, he played it down with a straight bat. He had done his homework. He had a clear approach to tackle spin-bowling. Also read: Williamson’s mastery, a lesser-known cricket rule and other highlights

He then flicked one to vacant square-leg region. What applaudable was the sweet timing.

Williamson and Latham’s resilience got on Kohli’s nerves, forcing the Indian captain to give an over to Murali Vijay. What the crafty duo of Ashwin and Jadeja could not do was expected of Vijay. The part-timer missed his length. He dropped it short. Latham rocked back to punch it past point. The full face of the bat was evidence to the fact that he emphasises more on the technical aspect of the game.

Rarely do we see Ashwin and Jadeja give away easy runs. They both are greatly experienced, and have got the better of the best in the past. Day Two was a different scenario altogether. They were forced to make unforced errors.

Meanwhile, Latham reached his half-century off 119 balls. There was nothing 21st-century about the innings. He took his time. He applied himself sensibly. He passed the test of endurance.

Had it not rained post tea, Latham could have reached the three-figure mark today. That is still possible, given there are three more days to go. The track has everything to offer Latham, and Latham has runs to offer his team. If he continues the stellar show, he is likely to match Williamson’s stature (no, this is not an overstatement).

(Kaustubh S. Mayekar, a reporter at CricketCountry, played cricket at U-16 level. Like his idol Rahul Dravid, he often shadow-practises cricket shots. His Twitter handle is @kaumedy_)

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