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Banter from the IPL nets, with an eye on WTC final
After the close 2019 World Cup semi-final, India and New Zealand are quietly building a rivalry of their own, where neither side want to give an inch
The Kiwis maybe known for their congeniality, but during this IPL, they lost no opportunity to take digs at their Indian teammates about their upcoming World Test Championship final clash.
Perhaps back-to-back setbacks in ODI World Cup finals (2015, 2019) may have strengthened their resolve not to give an inch to the opponent, on or off the field.
Mumbai Indians bowling coach and former Black Caps quick Shane Bond has revealed how Trent Boult constantly reminded his skipper Rohit Sharma of the World Test Championship every time he beat him in the nets.
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“I do know that even during IPL, Trent Boult was running in swinging the ball into him (Rohit), on the pads and telling him, that’s what is going to happen in the WTC final,” Bond said in a virtual conference. “The banter has been going on months before, which was brilliant. They were both very aware that they were going to come up against each other.”
The Mumbai Indians dressing room has more than one high performing Test star from either side competing in the WTC final. Apart from working closely with Sharma, Bond’s task is to get the best out of Boult and Jasprit Bumrah; bowlers who will be leading their respective attacks at Southampton.
Earlier, RCB and Australia all-rounder Dan Christian was witness to an interesting conversation between his skipper Virat Kohli and Kiwi quick Kyle Jamieson. “Pretty cagey from Virat actually, right in the first week. The three of us were sitting down after the nets and these two were talking about Test cricket,” Christian had said in The Grade cricketer podcast.
“Virat said: ‘So Jamie have you bowled much with the Dukes ball?’ If you want to have a bowl against me in the nets, I am more than happy to face’.
“Jamie was like, ‘No chance I am going to ball at you!’ He would have looked at his release point and everything that he does with the Dukes ball,” Christian chuckled.
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Jamieson’s senior fast bowling partner Tim Southee was fully supportive. “It was smart from Virat to see if he’d fall into the trap but for Kyle, it was a no-brainer to not give the guy a glimpse of what he’ll be facing,” he told an English daily.
Jamieson, during his sparkling Test debut against India in New Zealand last year, had snapped Kohli, bowling wide of the crease with his tall release point and drawing the India captain to edge to first slip. Jamieson, Boult and Southee are expected to combine with Neil Wagner to test the might of Indian batting in the mega final.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson leads Sunrisers Hyderabad and will be getting back to business for another IPL stint soon. But before that expect some more banter and mean business for five days between two dominant cricket sides who are quietly developing a rivalry of their own. Both teams fought out a keenly contested World Cup semi-final not too long ago on English shores, where India was edged out.
