Mike Hesson: NZ playing 3 Tests in short gap can be an issue

New Zealands two Tests against England before the World Test Championship final against India could end up creating workload management issues for the Black Caps feels the Kiwis longestserving coach Mike Hesson In an interview with PTI Hesson also had some advice for the Indian team Go with Mayank Agarwal in the opening slot instead of retaining the set combination of Rohit Sharma and Shubman GillCovid19 related restrictions have left India with limited preparation time ahead of the final beginning June 18 while New Zealand will have the advantage of playing two games against England before the firstever WTC title clash in Southampton Hesson doesnt agree with that assessment It is an issue playing three Tests with a fourday gap in between New Zealand will have to look at the bowling attack and thats potentially why Trent Boult will play this game second Test against England from Thursday he pointed outThat will give one of those other quicks to rest potentially because its only four days between each Test So three on the bounce is a big deal especially if you put in 45 to 50 overs in the second Test or they just decide to manage the workloads which is not something you usually do going into a Test match he said The 46yearold who coached New Zealand from 20122018 also backed Rishabh Pant to provide the xfactor like he did on the memorable tour of Australia earlier this year and is in favour of a best of three WTC final in the long run One of New Zealands most successful coaches who is now currently director of cricket at the Royal Challengers Bangalore Hesson expects Rohit and Gill to open but wants Agarwal who lost his spot in the eleven after two Tests in Australia to be given a chanceAgarwal was the teams leading rungetter in the away series against New Zealand last year when India lost 02 and was only one of the four Indian batsmen to get a halfcentury in an otherwise difficult campaign They will probably go with Rohit and Shubman but I think Mayank needs to be considered He has faced the New Zealand attack in New Zealand where he would have got some crucial experience said Hesson On Indias preparation going into the final compared to New Zealand he said Look match practice is always useful You know every ground is different though Southampton is quite unique in terms of its ground so sure match practice is helpful But India has got a big enough squad to where they can have intra squad games to get some training done out in the middle so I think come the first day of the final I dont think it will be a big deal While most experts see the match going New Zealands way if the ball is moving at the Aegeas Bowl but Hesson predicted an even contest How both top orders deal with the moving ball will be keyThe Dukes ball will swing and it will seam a little bit for a period of time And I think if the top orders are able to blunt that out from either side then theyll get a distinct advantage he said it will be a fair cricket wicket and the ball will offer something for everybody The spinners always like the Dukes because its got that high seam there will be a cross breeze so it will swing a little bit And with the Dukes there will be a little bit of seam on offer at least for the first 10 overs with with each new ball so every batsman will be will be challenged he explained Hesson thinks the Indian fast bowlers including the reserves will provide good preparation to their batsmen against the moving ball With the spinners expected to come into play later in the game Hesson said R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja must play alongside three pacers For New Zealand he sees four pacers in the side alongside Colin de Grandhomme or Mitchell Santer That Ashwin and Jadeja gives India a really good balance It gives you five frontline bowlers which means you can attack both left and righthanders and New Zealand have got five lefthanders and six right handers Hesson expects Pant to bat at six and do what he did in AustraliaI think hes more confident more settled on the international stage now Therefore hes able to play the way he wants to play He has earned enough credit within his team as well He also does the hard work first so its not a reckless play He allows himself that chance to show a bit of flair which we all enjoy watching Talking about the Black Caps performance in the drawn first Test against England Hesson wasnt surprised to see South Africaborn Devon Conway play the way he did en route to a double century on debut He was also impressed with the timing of Williamsons declaration on day five to force a result something New Zealand might have not done in the past No surprises there at all We were just waiting for him Conway to qualify to play for NZ and since he got introduced in the whiteball format he was always going to play Tests It was tough on Tom Blundell having started so well at the top of the order but Conway is too good a player to leave out Hesson concluded by supporting India head coach Ravi Shastris views on the WTC final format going forward If it is to be considered a pinnacle event then time needs to be made in cricket calendar for a best of three finalAlso ReadKane Williamson doubtful Mitchell Santner ruled out of 2nd Test against EnglandThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever