5 days, 1 session: Sanju Samson names India’s NZ T20I crisis plan

When the T20I series against the West Indies began on October 6, the Indian team had just returned from winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan. Shreyas Iyer reveals how he looked forward to sleepingas the match took place just three days after the final against Pakistan.

India now faces a similar situation. They will be back in action just five days after the West Indies series ended in Bengaluru. This time in Christchurch, where New Zealand will play at the beginning of the five-match series.

Adaptation will now be key and Sanju Samson will have to draw on his experience to cope with the tight turnover. Speaking to broadcasters ahead of the Bengaluru T20I, Samson said that they will have one day of batting in New Zealand before the match begins.

“To be very honest, with the way the schedule is structured these days, you don’t have a lot of time to train or prepare.

“That’s where your experience comes in. You try to stay in a good mental space and make the most of the time you get. We only have one day of batting practice,” Samson said.

“WE’LL TAKE 2 OR 3 BALLS TO ASSESS THINGS”

Samson said the quick turnaround meant India would have to take their lessons from the West Indies series to New Zealand.

The Indian opener said it might take them a while to get used to things, to get back to their style of play and to make sure they respect the conditions first.

“We will arrive there on the 20th, train on the 21st and play the match on the 22nd. So we will try to carry over the good things we have done here. It will take some time to adapt to the conditions there, so we will take two or three balls to evaluate them. We will follow the things we have learned through experience and play respecting the conditions,” he said.

Fortunately for India, The Bengaluru T20I was washed out after 7.4 oversmeaning they will rest before heading to New Zealand.

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