New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is expecting in-form batsman, Martin Guptill to deliver in the World T20 in India. Besides Guptill, the skipper wants all his players, who have played in the IPL, to use their familiarity of the conditions to help the team emerge victorious.
Guptill has been in an excellent form for the Black Caps in coloured clothing. He has been scoring runs with ridiculous ease. In his last seven T20 innings for New Zealand, Guptill has 40+ scores in six matches, which is great consistency in the shortest format.
In spite of such a record, Guptill went unsold at the 2016 IPL Player Auction, when he was expected to be one of the biggest buys.
"Martin's been absolutely smashing for quite a while and that's huge for our side. He has scored huge amount of runs so quickly and he has won a lot of games for us. We are certainly hoping that he continues that and keep playing with that freedom," PTI quoted Williamson as saying.
Players such as Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan and Tim Southee have played in the IPL, and if these players fire, New Zealand may well be one of the teams to watch out for in the World T20.
"A lot of guys have played a lot of cricket here. It's important to tap into their experience. It will certainly help our cause. A lot of them have played alongside a lot many international cricketers," Williamson said.
Pitches in India are always expected to assist the spinners, and Williamson is full aware of the fact. New Zealand will depend on their two premier spinners – Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner – to use the pitch to their advantage.
But, New Zealand, who have always used their fast bowlers as key weapons, irrespective of where they play, will depend on the likes of Adam Milne and Boult as well.
"Especially when you come to India you assume that the ball will spin on some of these surfaces. We have got some young, exciting spinners and they will be looking forward to bowl. Spin is likely to play a part, but I have no doubt that seam will also play a big part and we have world-class seamers in our lineup. They are all fit," Williamson said.
New Zealand have a tough opening game against India in the World T20, and Williamson believes the MS Dhoni's men are the favourites for the title. The Black Caps will be keen to create a big upset against India.
"India will probably be the favourites for this tournament. But all teams will come here believing they can win this tournament," Williamson said.
