The New Zealand batsman says their strategy going into Pune would be not to have a preconceived notion about the pitch, quick adaptability to the situation, and maximizing bowling options.
“Whatever we’re presented with, for us, it’s about trying to adapt as quick as we can,” Latham told the media ahead of the second Test here.
If it’s going to be a wicket that turns a little more, then we have four spinners in our lineup that will play into their hands, but it’s also about not trying to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas.
The surface will be potentially different than the one we had in Bengaluru; we need to adapt to the wicket quickly,” he added.
That said, the Pune pitch has traditionally provided turn; India is expected to rely heavily on their spinners, so utilizing New Zealand’s spin resources would be crucial for Latham.
The team has their primary spinners in Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, and Ajaz Patel, but New Zealand also have part-timers Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips that they could use.
This pool of spinning talent gives New Zealand options they will need to exploit against India’s powerful batting order. “A little thought on how we might use our spinners,” Latham added. “Try to get a little info from games played here in the past and also use the practice wickets to get a feel of things.”.
New Zealand will play their first Test on this Pune ground with the second Test, and Latham identified that they need to work out the conditions quickly.
The NZ captain noted that the team took nothing for granted after their historic win in b3Bengaluru, where they bowled India out for a record-low 46 runs at home in a Test match.
It was New Zealand’s first Test win in India in 36 years, but Latham clarified that the focus now was entirely on the upcoming contest.
