3-0 whitewash of India bigger than WTC Final win: Former NZ coach Glenn Pocknall

New Zealand scripted history in the subcontinent after handing India a whitewash at home.

The hapless Rohit Sharma-led side faltered terribly in every single Test match and lost the series 0-3, putting their chances of sealing a berth in the World Test Championship Final in doubt. While India put up a terrible showing in their own backyard, nothing should be taken away from the Kiwis, who took on India with guile and determination.

Credit should be given in particular to the player of the series – Will Young, the rising star – Rachin Ravindra, the hero in the Pune Test – Mitchell Santner, and the Mumbai maverick – Ajaz Patel, who dismantled the top-placed side in the ongoing WTC. India Today spoke to Glenn Pocknall, coach of Central Stags in New Zealand’s domestic cricket, a team that Young and Ajaz play for.

In an exclusive chat, Pocknall said that the win against India is not only the greatest series victory in New Zealand history, but might even be bigger than the team’s WTC win in 2021. Pocknall gave an insight on how Young, who was called upon due to an injury to Kane Williamson, specifically trained for the Indian pitches at Hawke’s Bay, and turned out to be the most consistent batter in the series.

Q. How has the reception been in the cricketing community in New Zealand? Is this the greatest series win in the country’s history?

A. The reception has been epic and regarded in some circles as a bigger achievement than winning the World Test Championship title in 2021.

Q. Will Young won the Player of the Series award for his incredible consistency. Can you talk about how he prepared for the India Test series?

A. Having a volume of training on variable-type surfaces prior to departure certainly aided his preparation. The beauty of the facilities in New Zealand is that players can practice all year round now on grass. He extensively worked on the sweep shot. Whether to sweep or not, based on many factors like line length, field setting and variability in the wicket. Invariably, though, if you can get to the pitch of the ball, then you can smother any turn. This was something Aldin Smith (Central Districts’ batting coach) talked with him a lot about when training.

He is always prepared with what he wants to achieve from a training session and systematically tries to get better rather than just have a meaningless hit in the nets. He and Aldin Smith worked very hard on preparation.

Q. Could you elaborate on Will Young’s training method?

A. He had a couple of sessions on playing spin throughout the winter in our indoor grass centre in Hawkes Bay with Aldin Smith with the number one focus on defending against spin and different scoring options. The surface had been dug up as the head groundsman, Phil Stoyanoff, was going to re-sow it. Phil asked us if we wanted to use it, as it would be perfect for spinning conditions and so we jumped at the opportunity and saw a huge benefit for Will and what he would be coming up against.

The ball spat, turned, rolled, and bounced in different directions. So we all had good discussions about defensive screed out in front of pad, angle of bat face and scoring options. We had a focus on using feet and reverse sweep as two options to the off-spinner on those conditions. Pleasing to see him be so proficient in those two areas knowing he’d put a lot of attention into them with his preparation.

Q. Please talk a little about the personality of Ajaz Patel. How did he manage to outperform Indian spinners – Ashwin and Jadeja – who have been legendary in their own backyard?

A. Ajaz is a real student of the game always wanting to improve his craft. He would have studied the right pace to bowl on each surface and would have an in-depth understanding of how each Indian batsman would go about attaching him.

With their win in India, New Zealand have managed to script a massive change in the WTC points table. The team has come out of nowhere to be in the running for a spot in the final. Tom Latham’s side will play England as their final assignment this season. If they manage to win all three, New Zealand will have a chance to enter their second WTC Final in three seasons.