NOTTINGHAM: New Zealand’s steady supply of left-handed batsmen will come in handy in today’s match against an Indian team without that variety in their top order, senior Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor said on the eve of the match.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan’s injury has not only robbed India of a left-right pair at the top of their order but has also left the two-times champions without a southpaw in the top half of their batting.
In contrast, New Zealand have three left-handers in their top six, including opener Colin Munro.
“Obviously Shikhar is a big loss to India,” Taylor said at Trent Bridge yesterday.
“He and Rohit Sharma have a very good partnership, and I think they complement each other well because they’re right and left-handed.
“I think we’ve had a similar balanced side for a long time, and when you do have a right-left hand combination, it does put pressure in different ways on the bowling opposition.”
A left-right combination forces bowlers to alter line and length while the fielding captain is also compelled to tinker with field settings every time the batsmen change ends.
Taylor said such variety in the batting lineup was necessary to make the most of the World Cup grounds.