Williamson: Unprecedented Amount of Tests Received

New Zealand is gearing up for a unique and challenging period ahead, with six Tests scheduled to be played in just two months. This is a rare occurrence for the team, as it is almost equivalent to a whole year's worth of matches for them. The last time they had such a busy schedule was in 2020 and 2021 when they went on to clinch the inaugural World Test Championship. What makes this upcoming series even more unprecedented is the fact that all six matches will be played in Asia. In the past decade, New Zealand has never played more than three Tests in the subcontinent in a single year. This eight-week tour kicks off with a one-off match against Afghanistan, followed by two games against Sri Lanka, and concluding with a series of three matches against India. This stretch of games in Asia will be a new and uncharted territory for the Kiwis, presenting them with a unique challenge and opportunity to showcase their skills in unfamiliar conditions.

Kane Williamson acknowledged it when speaking to the media on Saturday. "You know such a volume of Test cricket that we don't usually get, and obviously in this part of the world," he said in Greater Noida.

New Zealand's record in Asia is underwhelming, with 16 wins from 90 Tests. They have found it even harder to succeed in India - 2 wins in 36 Tests. Lots of effort is being made to improve on this. Domestic teams have been touring the country for a good while now. The next generation of New Zealand batters and bowlers have put in a lot of time trying to expand their game to succeed in conditions where spin plays a huge role. Allrounder Rachin Ravindra and fast bowler Ben Sears joined the Test squad in Uttar Pradesh after a four-day training camp in Chennai with their Wellington team-mates.

Related

NZ's Robinson, Foxcroft and Hay train in Chennai as transition to next generation looms

Fab Four now on two legs - Root and Williamson firm, Kohli and Smith wobbly

Ravindra ramps up red-ball preparation ahead of subcontinent spin challenge

Ben Sears eager to prove himself in subcontinent challenge

Williamson highlighted the importance of New Zealand learning to play differently in Asia and touched on the difficulty of playing long-form cricket in just staccato bursts.

"I think it's absolutely about trying to adjust your game," he said, "because we're not here consistently in this format. We go through quite long intervals of not playing here. So you know it is trying to sort of familiarise yourself again and for us, our last Test match was sort of six or eight months ago. So you know, as a team it's really connecting with that again as a red-ball group and looking to apply our skills, our plans as well as we can."

Williamson: Root has been something else for a period of time

Williamson, himself, a veteran of over 100 Tests and a leading member of the Fab Four, is yet to fully crack batting in India and Sri Lanka. In 22 innings, he averages 31.36 and has managed only five fifty-plus scores. One of them was his debut innings, back in 2010, when he was at the crease for 299 balls to score 131. Since then, however, only five of his knocks have lasted 100 balls or more. The defensive skill which sets him apart, and enables him to shape so much of New Zealand's fortunes on their own turf, is severely tested by the quality of the bowling and the nature of the conditions here.

Williamson was looking forward, though, to facing that challenge again, starting with New Zealand's first ever Test match against Afghanistan. "It's really important that we look to grow as a unit," he said. "It's nice and clear on how we want to play over here. We always know that it's a tough challenge whenever you play in these parts of the world, slightly different from back home. But you know always a great experience and playing against a really, really strong side."

New Zealand have bolstered their support staff, on a short-term basis, with the additions of Sri Lankan spin legend Rangana Herath and former India batting coach Vikram Rathour as they push for a better result in the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship. They finished sixth out of nine teams last time. This time, they occupy third place, behind India and Australia.

"In some ways it's like tournament sport, isn't it?" Williamson said. "Even though it's over a longer period of time in the Test Championship, but the value of games is high. The context around Test cricket with the Test Championship is really key and it's brought out a lot of really exciting games. And so naturally having six Test matches together is a big part of our Test Championship calendar and one that we're excited about."