‘If it hadn’t rained’: Matt Henry believes New Zealand could have pushed India in ODIs

NEW DELHI: New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry believes his side could have taken the ODI series against India a lot closer had rain not disrupted both the opening matches and insisted the hosts put up a strong fight despite trailing 0-2.India won the first two ODIs through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, with rain affecting the result both times. The third ODI was completely bowled out without a ball being bowled, leaving New Zealand with two more opportunities to salvage the pride of the series.Henry, yet to feature in the competition, felt New Zealand did well to challenge India while defending modest totals in difficult conditions.“I think the way we defended a low total on a difficult wicket we did really well and if it wasn’t for the rain it would have been a really close finish,” Henry said ahead of Friday’s fourth ODI.“I’m really proud of how the lads went and we’re looking forward to coming here to the Mount where we’re challenging ourselves again. So we’re looking forward to it and we’ve got two important games ahead of us,” he added.

Henry made his way back after being spooked by the concussion

Henry is expected to return for the fourth ODI after missing the previous match due to concussion sustained in a training ground collision with teammate Devon Conway.The 34-year-old said he was making good progress but admitted the injury setbacks had been frustrating, especially with a busy domestic summer ahead.“Yeah, I was a bit unlucky. So luckily he’s progressing well with his head,” he said.“It’s been a bit frustrating, obviously we’ve been pushing things back. But the main thing is we’ve still got a lot of cricket to play. And no, it’s just been a really exciting summer,” he added.Recalling the collision, Henry said both players had a blind spot as they went through fielding drills.“Yeah, no, it wasn’t ideal. We’ve only been doing a few practices and unfortunately they both have a bit of a blind spot so we managed to have a big head-on collision with Dev which wasn’t great. So I haven’t seen Dev yet. He’s obviously been at home so I’m looking forward to catching up with him and making sure he’s OK too,” he said.Henry also played down concerns about a minor quadriceps problem, saying he was being cautious with his projected workload.“Yeah, no, not too worried. It was nothing too big. We just have a lot of cricket to play. So be smart about that. So after a few days it was fine,” he said.

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There are ten tests ahead, the key to load management

Henry has been named in New Zealand’s 14-man squad for the two-Test series against India starting in Wellington on 19 November. Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell are also part of the squad as they recover from their injuries.New Zealand have 10 Tests to play between now and March and Henry acknowledged that managing the fast bowlers’ workload will be important.“We’re going to get into camp at this point. And we’re going to try to play every game we can. But we’re probably going to play it the way we see it. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of pitchers.”“We’ve got a big squad too. And we know we’ve got a lot of cricket too. So managing the workload is always going to be a challenge. With so much cricket to be played. But it’s a moving thing. And communication is going to be key,” he said.The upcoming Test series is significant for the Test World Cup, but Henry said New Zealand would focus on their own performances.“So for us it’s actually a focus on the games we have, which just starts with India. And we’ll try to play our cricket like us. And playing at home is really important for us as well. So we know it’s a big series, but it’s something we play here at home, yeah, we like to play. So we’ll be looking forward to it,” he concluded.