A rare spin trio for New Zealand

They won it, too, which may provide comfort for coach Mike Hesson and captain Kane Williamson as they included three spinners for the Kanpur Test on a dry Green Park pitch that was patterned with a mosaic of cracks. 

All-rounder Jimmy Neesham’s rib injury provided the final confirmation the Black Caps will play spin trio Mitchell Santner, Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi even if groundsman Shiv Kumar insisted the harder early season surface would hold together for longer than expected. 

On the basis of when in India, do as the Indians do, that would mirror the hosts’ approach to the Test but Kohli’s side did not have Amit Mishra in the playing eleven. 

Nearly two years ago in Sharjah, Craig and Sodhi joined Daniel Vettori in his farewell Test as the Black Caps cantered to a series-levelling victory over Pakistan by an innings and 80 runs. 

With Craig snaring 10, the spinners claimed 15 Pakistan wickets, even if this was no ordinary test match. Played under the pall of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes’ death, players were misty eyed, distracted and carefree about a mere game, so it may not be the definitive form guide. 

It’s 18 years since the previous time New Zealand chose three specialist spin bowlers in a test, showing both the dearth of quality spinners and how rarely conditions dictate the selection of two frontline pacemen. 

Vettori, Mark Priest and Paul Wiseman combined in Colombo with the series tied 1-1, and New Zealand lost to Sri Lanka by 164 runs. Go back even further to Sydney in 1985 (John Bracewell, Stephen Boock, Vaughan Brown) and Hyderabad in Pakistan in 1984 (Bracewell, Boock and Evan Gray) when a trio of spin didn’t win for the tourists.

The last time New Zealand won in India was 28 years ago when they played a solitary spinner, Bracewell, who took 6-51 in the second innings in Mumbai while the great Sir Richard Hadlee bagged 10 for the match. Since that 1988 triumph New Zealand’s winless streak in India stretches to 14 tests. Two wins from 31 overall makes it their toughest touring destination. 

Reading the Kanpur pitch loomed as troublesome for Hesson, given the last test at the ground was in 2009 and minimal recent top level cricket had been played there. In that 2009 Test, India plundered 642 then skittled Sri Lanka twice as spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha took nine wickets between them. 

Then there’s the question of whether three spinners, and Trent Boult and Neil Wagner as the only pacemen, gives the Black Caps the best chance of victory.