Guptill gets his timing perfect for Black Caps
The role of Black Caps post-match spokesman is rarely sought after. Particularly if you’re the mostdebated name in the touring cricket squad in India.
He might not have gladly accepted the job, but Martin Guptill could at least stroll into the press conference with a spring in his step after equalling his highest score of the tour.
The opener’s knock of 72 - top score from either side - guided New Zealand to 260-7 and a 19-run victory over India in Ranchi to level the one-day international series 2-2.
Game five in Visakhapatnam tomorrow (9pm NZT) offers the Black Caps a shot at their first bilateral ODI series victory in India at their fifth attempt.
Guptill’s form tops the list of polarising debate subjects in New Zealand cricket since Brendon McCullum’s retirement.
His test spot is rightly under scrutiny for the two-match home series against Pakistan starting in Christchurch on November 17, after just one 30-plus score in six India test innings. That scratchiness carried over to the ODIs where Guptill’s numbers are world class, and strengthened the argument for him being restricted to white ball cricket to rebuild his confidence.
That rebuild sped up in Ranchi on a slow, tricky pitch for Guptill’s 84-ball knock including 12 boundaries. It was a struggle early with several just clearing the infield off the bottom of the bat, with help from Amit Mishra shelling a halfchance on 29. Guptill was also able to free his arms and boom the ball to the fence in trademark style.
‘‘Opening is probably the hardest place to bat. You’re going to get a good ball and you’re going to nick off early on. Things like that happen, but you’ve got to fight through that and you can come out the other side and score some runs,’’ Guptill said.
‘‘The last game in Mohali I started to get some of the old touch back and today while it wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked I was able to bat for a period of time. Hopefully going to Vizag I can spend a bit more time in the middle and create a few partnerships and we can score some big runs.’’
On the surface 260-7 looked skinny but the Black Caps felt they had enough, after contributions from Tom Latham (39), Kane Williamson (41) and Ross Taylor (35), who was run out by some trickery from MS Dhoni.
Guptill had to make hay while the ball was new and the bounce true, before the spinners and change-ups from the quicks became hard to handle.
‘‘It wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked but I’ll take 72 any day of the week. The pitch was tough.
‘‘Early on the ball came on and you were able to hit through the line but once the ball got softer scoring became a lot tougher. You had to work for your runs and grind it out.
‘‘I was happy to get through that period and disappointed to get out the way I did.’’
One-day cricket is a simple game if done well, as New Zealand showed by rising to third on the world rankings.
They needed runs from top order, luck at the toss and to hold their catches in a committed bowling and fielding effort. They got all three, to notch their seventh win from 31 ODIs against the hosts in India.
Captain Williamson received a pat on the back from Dhoni and handshake from commentator Ravi Shastri after calling correctly for the first time all tour. There was a dilemma: take India out of their comfort zone and make them bat first, or pad up himself and hope the evening dew didn’t make the ball too slippery for his bowlers.
The latter did the trick as dew was minimal and the revamped New Zealand bowling lineup fired.
‘‘It was a good fighting win. The way Ish [Sodhi] and Mitch Santner bowled was top drawer and world class, to the best players of spin in the world. The wicket suited them and the boys bowled and fielded extremely well,’’ said Guptill.
Sodhi snared the prized wicket of Virat Kohli, caught behind for 45 chasing a wide one, and Jimmy Neesham’s stocks continue to rise again after his big scalps of Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni.
Tim Southee’s double strike – a brilliant Tom Latham catch then a pinpoint slower ball – turned it firmly New Zealand’s way as the senior man ended with 3-40 while Santner (1-38) was the pick of the bowlers in the mid-innings strangle.