Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is looking forward to acclimatising to the conditions in the subcontinent for the upcoming six-Test series. New Zealand will begin their Asia tour with a one-off Test against Afghanistan on Monday, after which they will travel to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series and then return to India for a three-Test series.
Kane Williamson said on Saturday, “We are going to be challenged in many ways (in Asia).” He said, “We have a chance to spend time here. I think it is important for us as a team to keep moving forward, gain the experience we are going to get in the next two and a half months and focus on getting better during this time. “
He said, “It feels good to focus on the preparations for the first Test here. We will try to play our best cricket by getting as familiar with the conditions as possible.”
After the Asia tour, New Zealand will host England for a three-Test series from November. Except for the game against Afghanistan, all the other matches are part of its World Test Championship calendar. The New Zealand veteran said, “In some ways it is like a tournament. The duration in the Test Championship is longer but its importance is more. The importance of Test cricket has increased due to the Test Championship.”
Williamson admitted that his team does not get to play so many Test matches at once and these six Test matches are very important in their calendar of the World Test Championship. New Zealand’s record in India has not been good. The team has managed to win only two out of 36 Test matches here.
When asked about this, Williamson said, “As a team, it is really important that we grow as a unit, understand well how we want to play here (subcontinent).”
He said, “We always know that whenever you play in these countries, you have to face a tough challenge but playing against strong teams is always a great experience, so this is a good opportunity for us.”
Williamson, who made his Test debut in India, is one of the world’s leading batsmen. However, the 34-year-old’s record in India and Sri Lanka is not very good. In both these countries, he has scored runs in 22 innings at an average of 31.36. He said, “It is all about trying to adjust your game. You know that we get a chance to play in these conditions in Tests after a long interval.