Kane Williamson, and the Kiwi grit
The last batting pair of New Zealand scraped through to a draw in the Kanpur test match.
Tough pill to swallow for India
For a large part of the test match between India and New Zealand at Kanpur – in a series that was played hot on the heels of the T20 World Cup – India were slated to win.
First, they piled up 345 runs on the board in the first innings and then bowled out New Zealand for 296 in their first innings, taking an all important lead.
India declared at 234 for 7 and had more than a day to bowl New Zealand out and they almost did it but the last pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel had all the answers that the Indian spin bowling trio of Ravi Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel threw at them and ended up saving the test match by just one wicket.
The Williamson imprint
This was the Kane Williamson imprint that the team has shown over the last couple of years across formats. The captain couldn’t have been happier after the match ended in a draw, with both teams taking away four WTC points each.
“It has been touch and go around this time throughout the game. Terrific game overall. All three results were still at play. We showed a lot of heart to bat through the day. Some fantastic experiences for Rachin, Ajaz and Somerville. It was also nice to have a crowd here to see this game. The two fast bowlers that did play were outstanding. Bowling long overs was an unbelievable effort. We know this Indian side is a very strong one. Experience overall in this game was good to have. There are things to touch on. Getting the overs under the belt was good to have. We have to prepare for a different kind of pitch in Mumbai,” Williamson said after the match.
Rahane’s courtesy
Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane was also a gentleman about the umpires’ decision to call off play due to bad light and not sulk about it.
Rahane said, in a matter of fact manner after the match, that obviously India wanted the game to go for as long as possible while the umpires decided to go off the field due to bad light and he respected their decision.
Rahane also applauded the grit that New Zealand showed to eke out a famous draw.