Blackcaps vs India: Test Series Debrief
After a gritty draw in Aotearoa's first Test vs India, the trip down to Mumbai for the second Test didn't quite pan out as well. India thoroughly dismantled the Blackcaps in similar fashion to how Aotearoa defends its whenua against touring Asian teams. As we've all enjoyed Aotearoa's seamers ripping through opposition batting line ups in recent kiwi summers, the last week was simply India flipping the situation around.
There are many storylines and ideas that steam from defeat in the second Test, although the plight of Luteru Taylor and reaction to his dip in form encapsulates the wider Blackcaps context. I could type up some words picking holes in the Blackcaps performances, finding wider context to wrap around it and zoning in on specifics. I could type a whole thing about Taylor and explore the idea of Taylor's future. That's not hard to do when stats and vibe come together to form a solid argument.
I don't want to though.
I want Taylor playing as long as possible.
I don't want to explore all the ways that the Blackcaps fumbled to a series defeat.
I want to find wrinkles of intrigue that help me understand what this team is up to and where they are heading.
For Taylor specifically, how about we judge him in conditions where batting's a bit easier for kiwis? I believe Taylor has earned that right and like most batters, Taylor has good years and bad years. Good years are followed by bad years and vice versa. Should Taylor struggle over a longer period of time including series in Aotearoa, then he will make his own decision because he's a team-first operator with self-awareness.
We love stats at the Niche Cache and we know they can be limited. While Taylor may have not smacked big centuries, don't forget that Taylor went hard at England's bowlers in the Lord's Test earlier this year to try and generate a contest. Taylor hit 33 @ 94.28sr for the team, not because he's struggling late in his career. Taylor then hit an 80 and 0* in the second Test vs England before a knock of 11 was followed by 47* to seal World Test Championship victory.
Not big scores, but influential knocks. Stats lack that context and instead of trying to wrap stats around Taylor's demise, I'm eager to see how Taylor responds in Aotearoa. The key stat that should be noted is Taylor scoring 89 runs @ 14.83avg back in the 2016 tour of India. Between that tour and this 2021 tour of India, Taylor averaged 44.66.
What about Devon Conway? What about Will Young? What about Daryl Mitchell?
Aotearoa cricket no longer operates in a limited few. For the Blackcaps Test group, this means that 20 players are genuinely in the mix for selection and we must acquaint ourselves with depth. For the White Ferns, this is playing out in a different way as training camps are being held ahead of the World Cup for the same squad that has struggled to win. With plenty of quality female cricketers in Aotearoa right now, the White Ferns have not embraced that depth and appear likely to roll out the same squad that has at least plateaued.
Remember when the Blackcaps swapped out six players from the first Test in England to the second Test? Two Tests with 17 different players used soon became 19 as Rachin Ravindra and Will Somerville came into the 1st 11 for this series. Add Glenn Phillips who was part of this Test squad and we hit the 20 players mark used across two Test series.
Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Neil Wagner all played in England but not in India. This was the first series without BJ Watling as well.
This resulted in Young, Mitchell, Blundell, Somerville, Kyle Jamieson, Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel playing their first Tests in India. 12 players used in this series and seven of them were playing Test cricket in India for the first time. That's not a recipe for winning Tests in India, although it is a recipe for prolonged success in this World Test Championship cycle.
Aotearoa has never had this level of Test cricket depth. All the lads introduced over the past two years or so have had their moments of bliss in Test cricket and we must ride with them as they endure the mandatory struggles of Test cricket - even more so toiling away in India for the first time. Remember that any new blokes have to perform at a similar level or better than veterans like Taylor over a sustained period of time. That competitive spirit is what will drive Blackcaps success moving forward.
How about the West Auckland Prince of Mumbai?
As far as epic sporting moments go, Ajaz Patel snatching a 10-wicket innings in Mumbai is up there with Lydia Ko, Valerie Adams, Lisa Carrington and Sevens Wahine in Tokyo this year. Imagine going back to your home city as a champion athlete brewed in a different country and it's hard not to shake the goosebumps off.
This is a weird vibe though as Patel didn't have much support, which along with being rolled for 62 was detrimental to Aotearoa's second Test chances. While Patel was taking 17w @ 22.05avg in this series, Somerville took no wickets in 69 overs and unfortunately for Patel this was a double-whammy of weird vibes; epic individual performance in a big loss while his spin homie struggled.
Patel made waves on domestic cricket's Lake Taupo in three seasons between 2015-18. Patel took 40+ wickets in three consecutive Plunket Shield campaigns and finished 1st in Plunket Shield wickets in all three of those summers. One thing stood out about those campaigns at the time and now provides insight into Patel the Test spinner; he bowled enough overs each season to plug up Lake Taupo.
In 2015/16 Patel bowled 399 overs. Next best was Brent Arnel's 380.4 overs.
In 2016/17 Patel bowled 441.4 overs. Next best was Tarun Nethula's 396.3 overs.
In 2017/18 Patel bowled 356.2 overs. Next best was Jeetan Patel's 319.2 overs.
In this Test series vs India, Patel bowled 120 overs. Ravi Ashwin bowled 103 overs and he was the only other bowler with 100+ overs.
Patel is a craftsman, not a weapon. Patel does his best mahi when engaged in a long-haul battle where his patience, accuracy and mental fortitude becomes an asset. Patel is more Daniel Vettori than Shane Warne, more Nathan Lyon than Ravi Ashwin. This has been evident in his domestic cricket ascension and was on display in his 'West Auckland Prince of Mumbai' performance.
This has me curious about Patel moving forward - how bowling attacks can be built around Patel. For example, I'd want a weapon like Neil Wagner operating alongside Patel. If selected multiple spinners for an overseas tour, I'd want a more aggressive spinner working with Patel. As the main weapon, India were able to absorb Patel’s threat and open up against other bowlers. Balance this out a bit and Patel's pressure can be amplified by a greater threat at the other end.
Patel's recipe could help him earn selection for Tests in Aotearoa as he's not only the best spinner in Aotearoa, he's best equipped to work alongside Southee, Boult, Wagner and Jamieson in Aotearoa. They are the weapons with swing and seam, Patel then has space to do what he does best. Daniel Vettori played 57 Tests in Aotearoa doing this type of job and Patel has a better crop of seamers to work with than Vettori ever did.
Ah, but Patel doesn't need to play in Aotearoa. I am intrigued by how Patel's style of spin bowling compliments the standard seam diet in Aotearoa, however there is no need to select Patel in Aotearoa. There is no need to force Conway, Young, Mitchell or Ravindra into Blackcaps teams either. Hold the space, catch a whiff of form and let it drift away without frothing over which hot kiwi cricketer needs to be selected.
We've never been here before, so I understand. Back in the day any gem of a performance came with a Blackcaps nod, a nice Blackcaps performance ensured steady Test selection and the Blackcaps weren't very good. As we bid ka kite to 2021, Aotearoa's Blackcaps have bolstered their Test group with a variety of skills that will be required venturing forward. Don't stress about it though, just let it flow.
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Peace and love.