The year 2024 has been pretty kind to Kane Williamson. Three hundreds, fifty and 480 runs in four Tests so far are a testament to why he is considered one of The Fab Four, including Joe Root, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. And now that he’s no longer captaining his team, Williamson has the space to take care of his batting and help the Kiwis win every game they play.
Talking of the Fab Four, Williamson seems to be a fan of Joe Root as was evident when he addressed the media on Saturday before the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida. The former New Zealand skipper says he doesn’t heed these comparisons but praised Root for his century-scoring spree of late.
“Joe Root has just been something else for a period of time, and obviously a lot of the discussion around what he might be able to achieve in a number of years and just incredible that conversation can even be had. So yeah, he is being phenomenal and obviously a big fan of his and have enjoyed watching not just his, but obviously those other guys that you mentioned. Amazing players that have all sort of moved the game forward in a big way,” Williamson said on Saturday.
Back in India after almost three years
All eyes will be on Williamson when New Zealand take on Afghanistan. It will be his first India tour since relinquishing captaincy in the longest format. Though the opponent isn’t India this time, Afghanistan will surely present a stern challenge and Williamson will have some role to play as a leader thanks to his wealth of experience.
Conditions in the subcontinent have always tested the visiting teams and the scenario will be no different for New Zealand.
“I suppose in the Test setup, Tim’s been captain for nearly a couple of years now. But yeah, it’s an adjustment. But at the same time, there’s still a role within the team and that is leadership capacity. I really enjoyed playing for New Zealand. And so, it’s another opportunity to be back here in India, although not playing India, obviously playing Afghanistan,” Williamson said.
The Subcontinent Puzzle
The conditions in the subcontinent have always proven tricky for overseas units. Unlike the pace and bounce which they are familiar to, here they are greeted with turning and slow strips. And as far as the venue in Great Noida is concerned, it remains an unchartered territory.
“Not having a lot of Test cricket here [in Greater Noida]. No doubt, the spinners will play a big role as they often do in this part of the world. So yeah, for us it’ll be just looking to adjust as well as we can,” Williamson said.
So how New Zealand are prepping up for the challenge?
Well, they arrived in the national capital region four days prior to the game, got some brilliant cricketing brains from India and Sri Lanka (Vikram Rathour and Rangana Herath) as a part of the coaching staff and are trying their best to acclimatize to the conditions amid rains and humid weather.
“They [Herath and Rathour] are knowledgeable coaches and certainly in this part of the world. So obviously, we sort of got together as a group yesterday. It’s new into the relationship but you know they’re really getting involved in and trying to help out as much as they can,” said Williamson.
“We’re absolutely going to be challenged in a number of ways. I think it’s important for us as a team to look to grow throughout, pick up the experiences that we’re going to have over the next sort of two, two-and-a-half months, and it would be better for us so.
“It’s an exciting opportunity. Nice to be here preparing for the first Test and look forward to as they take these sorts of small steps, getting more and more familiar as much as we can with those conditions. And I’m looking to try and put together our cricket,” he added.
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