‘Confident of good show’
The last time he played in Hyderabad, he blasted a double century to put New Zealand in a position of strength before the Indians battled back to force a draw. Now, Brendon McCullum is back at the top of the batting order with similar intentions in mind.
It’s been almost two years since he smashed that blistering 225 in the second innings back in 2010 but the knock is crystal clear in the 30-year-old’s memory, and obviously provides the spring in his step.
“I enjoyed myself the last time I came here — batted for nine hours and was pretty pleased with the effort. I plan to occupy the crease for long periods of time this time too,” he said.
McCullum had opened the innings then, before slipping to the no. 3 position in subsequent series. Now, he’s back as an opener, skipper Ross Taylor has confirmed. The hard-hitting batsman relishes the role. “It will be nice to bat at the top of the order.”
His game plan is simple — be belligerent and launch an all out attack on the bowlers. “I like to bat aggressively, scoring runs gives me a kick. I’d like to see the scoreboard ticking over. I want to be positive when I bat and put the opposition under pressure,” he said.
As for his mental battles with the bowlers, “It’s a matter of making good decisions every ball, being confident, being aggressive to make them miss their lengths and lines.”
“Each bowler is different and I try to block out their plans to get me out by playing the ball on its merit,” he added.
His attacking style of play apart, the Kiwi feels the grinders too have a crucial role to play.
“You need a healthy diet of aggressive players and people who occupy the crease in bad times as well. The best teams have a good mix of players who have a sound technique and can also bat for long periods of time,” he said, pointing to “South Africa and India.”
McCullum does not keep wicket in Tests anymore, but is “trying to secure a good career as a Test batsman in the five or six years left in me.”
McCullum also feels getting used to the conditions will not be an issue as the IPL and other cricket have contributed a lot in that department.
“The conditions are completely different all over India and the IPL has definitely played a part in foreign players getting accustomed to the heat and the food here.
“Some of the guys have been here on the New Zealand ‘A’ team tours and so we have a team that is travelled more to India than the teams 10 years ago,” he says.
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