India vs New Zealand: Tim Southee set for test of character and skill

New Zealand have arrived in India for a challenge so massive that it will not only need them to put forth their A game, but to achieve that level of consistency which they have not, in recent years. When the New Zealand team led by Brendon McCullum had hit the English shores in 2015 for a two-Test series, expectations were high from the touring side to finally end their drought of a series win. However, New Zealand produced some ordinary cricket in the first Test, which deprived them of a series win, irrespective of how well they played in the second and final Test. New Zealand were the better side on paper, as well as form. But New Zealand’s bowling attack was the biggest let down, as a team which has a rich bank of quality seamers, who can also work up a lot of pace, should have given England a run for their money. However, the first Test was where they let their side down, with some ordinary bowling at Lord’s. Moving ahead, New Zealand would know that with their disappointing outing in South Africa, there is a long road to travel to the top, to be among the best Test sides. And to be there, New Zealand will need their bowlers to deliver victories in unprecedented situations and conditions. Tim Southee and Trent Boult have remained at the forefront of the New Zealand pace attack for a very long time now, but their promises have not always yielded the desired results, and a gruelling India tour will only make life tougher for bowlers who tend to rely on seam and swing movement. For the starters, it will be daft for Southee and Boult to rely on the wickets, especially when the series is beginning at Kanpur. Irrespective of the fact that New Zealand spinners stunned India at Nagpur in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2016 match with their spin stock, the Kiwis will need their pacers to be at their best. The dependency will be largely on Southee, the right-arm pacer whose art is not a lot different from that of James Anderson. The England pacer had India on their knees with some lateral movement with the old SG cricket ball during their tour in 2012, displaying great example of control over the ball, the importance of maintaining it and also hitting the right areas. It is another thing that Anderson is a master of pitching the seam up — giving himself the chance to get movement off the pitch even more — which was one of the biggest factors in that series. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs New Zealand, 1st Test at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur For New Zealand, hitting the small boxes right will serve greatly than to make big goals. It is expected that India will dish out rank turners which will assist their spinners. India need a series win at home to warm-up for the bigger challenges ahead and their methods could be completely new for the touring side. But New Zealand can still spring up with surprises if their key men like Southee get their act right. In order to do that, there is requisite experience as well. Southee has the experience that he needs. Playing white ball cricket in a competition as rigorous as the Indian Premier League (IPL) would have increased his knowledge about the local conditions significantly, but to put them into use in Test cricket, on completely different kind of wickets and situations will demand a lot out of the 27-year-old. India vs New Zealand: Mitchell Santner’s opportunity to announce himself at world stage Fortunately for New Zealand and their ace bowler, they do have a lot to bank upon keeping in mind Southee’s record, especially in the subcontinent. Talking about his numbers, Southee has bagged 25 wickets in 6 Tests against India, 12 of which have come in mere 3 away Tests. Let us take a look at his overall figures against the subcontinental teams.

Opposition	M	W	BBI	BBM
India	6	25	7 for 64	8 for 132
Pakistan	6	14	3 for 67	4 for 88
Sri Lanka	6	33	5 for 62	8 for 120
Bangladesh	1	4	4 for 103	4 for 103

As seen in the table, Southee’s figures look quite promising for the touring side, especially when his best bowling performance against India was 7 for 64 at Bengaluru on their last tour in 2012. Let us bifurcate Southee’s numbers against the same opposition, playing in somewhat similar conditions, i.e, in the subcontinent. Note: Southee has played only one Test against Bangladesh, at Hamilton in 2010.

Opposition	M	W	BBI	BBM
India	3	12	7 for 64	8 for 132
Pakistan (in UAE)	3	5	3 for 67	4 for 88
Sri Lanka	2	12	5 for 62	8 for 120
Bangladesh	-	-	-	-

The table provided above clearly shows Southee enjoys bowling in India and Sri Lanka, and the right-arm bowler can be banked upon for guiding the New Zealand bowling in the upcoming series. The challenge for the Kiwis in India will also be slightly easier than their Trans-Tasman rivals Australia, who arrive at the end of the ‘India Cricket’ season when summer would be kicking in. Another factor, also a crucial one, which can be in favour of the Kiwis is that the coach of the Indian cricket team has clearly stated that there will be no specific demand from their side on the type of wickets they want for the upcoming series. Kumble’s comments ahead of the series are even more interesting because the Indian coach has acknowledged that there is not much knowledge in his side regarding the pitches they will get in Kanpur, Kolkata and Indore for the next three Tests. Kumble told ESPNCricinfo that due to a decent monsoon, it remains to be seen how much water these pitches have got. Southee and co. can certainly take this in their stride as they prepare for the series which is set to test them to the hilt. Southee’s role will be no different to what Anderson has been carrying for England. (Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)