Published: Sep 19, 2016, 05:14 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 19, 2016, 05:31 PM (IST)
For someone who beat India into submission in his first Test itself, smashing a gritty 137 and carving out a hard-fought draw for New Zealand, the left-handed batsman Jimmy Neesham heads into the India tour with a lot of promise. Best known for his splendid century that hammered India out of the Wellington Test during the home series in 2013-14, Neesham is that aggressor whom the Kiwis will need to be at the top of his game in the upcoming three-Test series. An extremely strong batsman off his pads, the lanky left-hander averages close to 39 after his first 9 Tests in the career, which means, there is a lot to expect from the batsman from Auckland.
So far, Neesham has scored 2 Test centuries and 3 half-centuries, and all of them have come at crucial junctions for the New Zealand side which needs each of their batsmen at the top of their game on the tour of India, which begins on Wednesday with the first of the three Tests at Kanpur. A tall batsman who does not shy away from launching onslaught at any point in the game, it will be interesting to see what kind of approach the 26-year-old takes on this tour. An entertainer on the field as well as off it – given the fact that his Twitter page is keenly followed across the world – Neesham will be required to strengthen the New Zealand batting attack which looks fallible against both swing and pace as well as quality spin bowling.
Aggressive as well as gritty batting is not the only skill that makes Neesham’s resume look impressive; his 12 wickets in 9 Tests make him a handy bowler and an excellent option for any captain to have him in their side. Neesham’s ability to strike the ball clean and hard, which can derail any bowling line-up, is something that has been seen in the past, but his ability to garner some runs on slow and turning wickets is something that makes him look very promising for the series against India. The numbers that he has garnered so far are promising as well, as 11 sixes in first 9 Tests of the career and a strike rate of a little above 68 makes Neesham an exciting batsman to watch out for.
Neesham is not new to India, in case there is a perception that he would be among the many non-Asian cricketers who may struggle with the conditions and the pitches. Neesham has been to India thrice: with the New Zealand ‘A’ side, has played in the now-defunct Champions League T20 (CLT20) and he has also played the all-important Indian Premier League (IPL) for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). To have played one of the toughest tournaments of cricket calendar in the Kolkata heat and humidity would have certainly given Neesham more than a fair idea about what to expect in the upcoming Test series as far as conditions are concerned, all that is left to be done is to acclimatise well and give it his best shot.
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And Neesham seems to be ready to give his best as well. The last Test that he played for New Zealand was last year during the Australian tour, when he bowed out of the competition with a back problem and has not played the conventional format since. But Neesham, unlike many cricketers who go back to their basics and try and iron out the flaws, went on to the County circuit, only to return with better fitness levels and a determination to go back to the way he approaches the game.
Neesham is an excellent option to have in the lower-middle order, as he can not only provide some much-needed solidity but he also has the ability to launch surprising onslaughts that may derail the bowling plans. He is a good puller of the short ball, and if Neesham’s strength in batting is to be spoken about, he has the ability to whack the ball hard and long when it is bowled on the pads. What may be an issue for the lanky batsman is his ability to sometimes play the ball across the line – like pushing it past mid on when a left-armer is angling it in – and also the habit of playing on the up. Well, that may exactly not be an issue for Neesham since the wickets in the upcoming India versus New Zealand series are not expected to be bouncy, and instead, he will have to prove that he is a better batsman against spin than what his records show.
The wickets in the Caribbean are no more the haven for fast bowlers; instead, they provide assistance to spin bowlers and are low and slow. If Neesham’s performances in New Zealand’s last tour of West Indies are anything to go by, he is one batsman to look forward to. In the three-Test series in the Caribbean during New Zealand’s tour in 2014, Neesham finished with 278 runs in three Tests at 46.33, smashing one century and 2 half-centuries.
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But then, came along the tour of UAE to take on Pakistan where the lanky batsman struggled on all fronts. Neesham played 2 out of the 3 Tests during New Zealand’s tour of UAE to take on Pakistan 2014-15, scoring only 39 runs at an embarrassing 9.75 with a highest of 17. In his four innings, Neesham managed 11, 0, 17 and 11, which certainly do not tell the batting prowess that this cricketer possesses.
Neesham did score a fine 85 against Sri Lanka at Christchurch in December 2014, but only 2 Tests next year – one at the beginning and the other at the end of 2015 – did no good to him. He managed 40 runs in those 2 Tests, which means the Kiwi batsman will be starting afresh on the tour of India with the promise of going back to his old style of playing free and aggressive cricket, which should serve the New Zealand side well.
The knowledge of conditions in India will certainly help Neesham to put his best foot on the tour, but the fact that he is still unproven against quality spin in challenging conditions will be dangling over his head like a sword as it will be on the other New Zealand batsmen. However, by putting the best foot forward by going back to his basic game plan is how Neesham expects to contribute on this tour of India, and New Zealand will wish that the cricketer achieves what he has aimed for.
(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
