Green - that’s what will welcome India and New Zealand at the Westpac Trust Park wicket in Hamilton come Thursday. The weather has been wet with downpours today and forecast for more rain tomorrow. This means that the pitch might be a touch under- prepared, which is not good news for a batsman. It also makes the toss crucial, since bowling first will be a big bonus. Over the last couple of years, Hamilton has emerged as the fastest wicket in New Zealand, and we have always had exciting, result-oriented wickets here.

The Black Caps come into this Test with a great deal of confidence after our comprehensive win at Wellington. I honestly did not think that we would be able to finish the game in 200 overs. We were aware that the Indians had very little time to acclimatise themselves and knew that we had to go all out for a win in the first Test itself. Fortunately, we used the crucial advantage of winning the toss and batted well for most of the second day. In fact, I felt that we had lost an opportunity when we collapsed to 200 for seven after being 181 for three. Just before the second Indian innings began, we resolved to make run- scoring as hard as possible. The ploy worked and the Indians were soon seven down with hardly anything on the board.

The victory was particularly satisfying because all the homework we had done by downloading video clips and analysing player weaknesses worked. We came up with a strategy for each of the top batsmen in the Indian batting line-up and practised hard. We were very thorough in our preparation, but it’s not always that things work out as perfectly as they did at Wellington. As a team, we generally like to do our homework well since it helps us focus better.

In Hamilton we will use our home advantage and go all out for a 2-0 series win. We will be sticking to the same team, although we might discuss Michael Mason. The Black Caps are a conservative lot, and it is unlikely that we will meddle with a side that won in less than three days.

We are aware that the Indians will not only be better prepared, they will also be eager to make amends for their poor showing at Wellington. We believe that a team that possesses their experience and a thinking coach like John Wright will take the steps necessary to make the batsmen fare better.

Wright is a greatly respected figure in New Zealand, where he is considered a quality person - something that comes through in the success he has had with various teams, including India. Coaching the Indian cricket team is a high-pressure job, and he has done a marvelous job in the last 18 months or so. Hopefully New Zealand cricket will be able to benefit from his coaching expertise some day.

Other Articles by Stephen Fleming:

• We would like to end the series on a winning note (13 January 2003)
• New Zealand plan to take first strike (07 January 2003)
• Hoping for a bright start to the New Year (31 December 2002)
• India will bounce back in the ODI series (24 December 2002)
• A green wicket awaits at Hamilton (17 December 2002)
• India will find New Zealand a tough challenge (11 December 2002)

© Gameplan