Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Steve Smith & Virat Kohli were termed as Fab 4 in 2014-15 by great batter Martin Crowe. Joe Root since 2020 has been scoring tons of runs in Test arena and has dominated World Cricket by scoring runs in all conditions. Joe Root is tipped to break the iconic batter Sachin Tendulkar’s most Test runs and for that he will have to score 3,500 runs and with he being 33 years of age, it will be interesting to see whether he still has the hunger to play for next 4 years and dictate the terms.
Kane Williamson who recently rejected the central contract of New Zealand citing to play in SA20 2025 edition but has opted for casual contract and be available for key matches and Test series. Kane Williamson’s elbow injury has been troubling him since last couple of years and Kane also has give up white ball captaincy with Tom Latham considered as the successor for CT 2025 and ODI 2027 championships.
New Zealand have a stern task ahead of them where they are set to play 6 Test matches in Asia out of which 2 are in Sri Lanka and 3 against India and 1 against Afghanistan (not a part of WTC 2023-25 cycle) in Greater Noida as India is the second home Test venue for Afghanistan apart from UAE. New Zealand undoubtedly would be challenged who are placed at 3rd position on the WTC 2023-25 points table with a percentage of 50 and if they are able to win 4 Test matches amongst India & Sri Lanka then they would be in a strong position.
I am a big fan of Joe Root- Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson who may not be the skipper of Test side but is an integral part of Kiwi side who has immense experience across Test side. Kane Williamson heaped praised on Joe Root and lauded the conversion of English batter and also said that he likes the way Root approaches the game.
“You mentioned Joe Root. He has been something else for a long period of time. Obviously, there is a lot of attention on what he might be able to achieve in a number of years and it’s just incredible that that conversion can even be had. He has been phenomenal.I have been a big fan of his. Not just him, but the other guys as well, amazing how they have sort of moved the game forward in a big way,”
We are going to be challenged- Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson was aware of the fact that succeeding in Asian conditions won’t be easy with tracks assisting the spinners and conditions being very tricky. Kane also reflected the fact that playing 6 Test matches in a span of 2 months is very big for the side. Kane Williamson emphasized on the fact that they need to win key phases of the Test match which will keep them in good stead.
“I mean, we are absolutely going to be challenged in a number of ways. But, the opportunity to have a block here for us as a team to look have the sort of experiences that we are going to have for the next sort of two-and-a-half months and be better for it. It’s an exciting opportunity. Nice to be here, preparing for the first Test. We are looking to take those small steps and try and get familiar with those conditions,”
“In some ways, it’s like a tournament sport, even though it’s over a long period of time in the Test championship. Naturally, having six Test matches together is a big part of our calendar. It’s one that we are very excited about.”