India vs New Zealand: Tom Latham’s chance to repeat subcontinent heroics

The upcoming Test series between India and New Zealand will be a parameter for a lot of players, while also giving a chance to better their numbers in Tests for  many others. Tom Latham, within a span of two years since debut, has delivered performances that has made him a crucial member of the squad, and has clearly cemented his spot for a long time to come. The series in India will be a stage for Latham to prove his worth overseas and in challenging conditions. The player has shown great promise and potential so far, and is expected to display some good cricket in the time to come. This series in India is a learning phase as well as a test for the batsman, who has been New Zealand‘s solution to opening woes for a couple of years now.

Latham made his Test debut against India, batting at No. 4. In the first innings he was barred of any runs while he scored 29 in the second. The match is Latham’s only experience against India. The match at Green Park, Kanpur, will be his first ever Test on Indian soil. The playing conditions in India are way different from that in New Zealand, or say, Australia, where the player has played most of his Test matches.

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Making debut in 2012, Latham has played 22 Tests and scored 1,554 runs at an average of 38.85. The player has hit five centuries and seven half-centuries within this period. Latham played most of the Test matches at home, which enhanced his techniques against pacers and challenges with bounce. Kanpur, the venue of the first Test, traditionally has had a pitch that does not support bounce and pace. Latham, who opens the innings, is bound to face the pacers more than spinners. Having faced the challenges posted by top-class pacers in New Zealand, which supports bounce, it will be an added advantage for the player to face Indian pacers in India. READ: India vs New Zealand: Kiwis need the aggressor in Jimmy Neesham to strengthen batting

Looking at India’s pace attack, it can be said that New Zealand top-order will be on the gainers side. India has Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma in the squad. Of these players, the most experienced is Ishant, who has played 25 Tests in India and bagged 63 wickets. Shami, though has played for a longer time span, was out of the field for his injuries while Bhuvneshwar has played only six Tests in total.

Of the bowlers, keeping in mind the balance of pace and technique, Shami looks to be the most competent to be economical and successful. However, the bowler has a tendency to surprise the batsman with a bouncer or two, which will not be very easy for him to do in Kanpur. To survive the initial few overs at the crease will be Latham’s first goal, which, owing to his experience against pacers, does not look to be very tough. The biggest challenge that awaits the player is facing the spinners in Indian conditions.

The closest to the Indian conditions that Latham has played was during New Zealand’s tour to UAE. Facing Pakistan, it was only Latham who could score some runs for New Zealand while others struggled to reach even half-century. The player scored two centuries in the tour in two Tests. While the first came for a losing cause, his 137 in the second helped New Zealand draw the match after a defeat. The tour helped Latham possess a brilliant record in Asia with an average of 56.40 with a couple of centuries.

One of the most commendable qualities that the player showed is his patience. As the team kept on lost wickets one after another, Latham stood there alone, lifting team’s total to a respectable number. Among his batting techniques, a noticeable one is his positive body movement. Latham is very much active at the crease and has a varied range of shots. Though the player loves to drive through the covers, he is equally comfortable to execute a perfect pull or sweep shot. The wide range of shots comes in handy for him to face any kind of bowlers.

Latham has all the qualities to become a permanent opener for New Zealand in the long run. He keeps his eyes at the ball which helps him achieve a precise timing, and has a very steady body follow through which it helps him to get the perfect bat face needed to hit shot. Moreover, being a left-hand batsman makes the calm-headed player the perfect choice to open innings for New Zealand.

The player however looks a bit uncomfortable when bowled at the legs, is bound to face troubles against Ravichandran Ashwin the most. Ashwin is India’s trump card in the series and has all the elements to run through the New Zealand line-up. Latham being a left-hander will naturally face problems while Indian pitches and their assistance to spin-bowlers are expected to add fuel to the fire.

Latham’s responsibility will be to do what he does the best, provide a solid start to the Kiwi batting. The batsman will have to put in all his experience of facing pacers in the initial few overs to get the runs and achieve a steady start, while having to take his time to understand how the pitch works for the spinners. As the days will proceed, the ball will become old, making it work for the spinners even more with the pitch also becoming drier near lunch in Indian conditions.

Another mantra for Latham will be to leave the deliveries he is not sure of. Not having a very good amount of experience is one negative that the batsman will have to deal with wisely and this tour will decide his credibility to be a wise batsman besides being talented. The New Zealand line-up does not look to be one which has a lot of experience of playing in India, and in-form Latham will have to make sure they do not lose wicket early towards the day to the pacers as it will make the work easy for the spinners who will come in action later.

(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)