Taylor delighted at Latham’s sweeping success

Ross Taylor has been in a rich vein of form in One-Day International cricket since the start of 2017. In 15 innings dating back to January 30, he has made two centuries and six half-centuries, and he kept that good run going in the first One-Day International against India on Sunday (October 22).

Content to ride in Tom Latham’s slipstream, Taylor made 95 and put on 200 with his junior partner for the fourth wicket to steer New Zealand to a six-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Latham, the left-hand batsman who has slipped into the middle order because of his high levels of comfort against spin apart from donning the wicketkeeping gloves, used the sweep shot brilliantly against Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, the wrist spinners who had so much success against Australia recently.

“Latham employed the sweep shot over here in the Test matches (last year), and did it to good effect,” Taylor pointed out. “The Indian batsmen have very quick feet when they play spin and traditionally, us New Zealanders aren’t as nimble on our feet. With the sweep shot, we’re able to put pressure on the bowlers and adjust their lengths. I thought he did that outstandingly well. I told him to reverse sweep and he did it, and he kept doing it. I hope he keeps that up because he said he had never done it in a game. He practiced it a lot but it was nice for him to get some success out of that shot today.”

New Zealand’s decision to bat Latham at No. 5 was both to maximise his competence against the turning ball and to allow Colin Munro to attack at the top of the tree, as the hunt to find a substitute for the irreplaceable Brendon McCullum continues. “We trust ourselves and Kane (Williamson) as well. With that line-up, we know we can attack at the top and it does put the onus on the bowlers to perform and Munro did a great job,” Taylor explained. “To bring Tom in here, he was one of our best batters last tour and with him with the extra keeping responsibility, it might be quite tough to come out in that situation and open the batting.

“But for positions 5 and 6, we’ve been searching for a bit of consistency and Tom, not only in the new role as ‘keeper but to bat at 5, to score a very successful, fifty and hundred, hopefully he can continue that and the balance of our side improves with Tom batting at 5.”

Of his own supporting role, Taylor said, “I’ve had a conscious effort - I’ve come here many a times before, whether it’s international cricket or IPL – that I’m not getting any younger and just wanted a bit of a push and just had a bit more intent, I think. Through those middle stages in the past, you take up a few too many dot balls, so I have taken a conscious effort of being a bit busier at the crease, work on a few shots and open up the off-side. Tom and I got some runs in the warm-up game and it was nice to bring that form into Wankhede today.”

Taylor conceded that the conditions, as much as the quality of the Indian bowling, made the chase of 280 a lot more difficult. “It was more the humidity and the heat,” he observed. “Having to field out there for over three and a half hours, we knew we had to get off to a good start and try and negate their spinners. Traditionally, New Zealand come here and struggle up front in our innings. Being able to rotate the strike in the right-left combination with Tom…I think you’ve got to give credit to Gup (Martin Guptill) and Munners (Munro, the openers). They set the platform for us and we were able to rotate the strike and take it deep. Then we knew we were in a good position in the game.”

Asked if there was an over-reliance in the middle-order on Latham and himself, Taylor replied, “As long as you win, it doesn’t matter who steps up. Today, it was Tom and I. You’ve got to give credit to the bowlers as well, it was pretty warm out there and Boulty (Trent Boult) bowled outstandingly well but we still a long way to go. We know India are going to come at us hard and now it’s one more victory to take the series for us. But we know Pune is going to be a tough wicket to play on. We’ve to start again and not dwell on this too much.”