Kiwis all set for Afghan battle in Chennai

NZ’s Trent Boult during a practice session on Monday. Pic/PTI

Imagine buying a lottery ticket with the winning numbers only to realise that you left it in your shirt pocket which has now been through the washing machine. Can one get more unluckier than that? Yes. Ask Kane Williamson.

After being injured on Day One of IPL 2023, Williamson spent 196 days away from cricket. He worked hard and did everything he could to make a comeback on the biggest stage of all. The innings against Bangladesh felt like Williamson had never left. A 14th ODI century seemed like it was only a matter of time and then disaster struck. A freak incident leading to a fractured thumb nipping his comeback in the bud. The joy of New Zealand's third consecutive victory was marred by the disappointment of injury.

And so, it's back to square one for the Black Caps as Tom Latham goes back to being the captain. Will Young will return to the top of the order to partner Devon Conway while Rachin Ravindra drops to No. 3.

Adversity is the mother of all great inventions and I trust New Zealand to bond even stronger as a result of Williamson's injury.

Chennai has so far produced two very different kind of surfaces. India v Australia was slow and low with lots of turn. New Zealand v Bangladesh had a bit in it for everyone including pace and bounce for the likes of Ferguson. The nature of the surface will determine if Ish Sodhi gets his first opportunity of the tournament or not. If he does, then Mark Chapman might be the one to make way for him. Both Trent Boult and Matt Henry have played in all three matches so far and Tim Southee is ready to rock and roll if either of them needs a break.

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In light of the events that unfolded in Delhi in the Afghanistan v England match, the Black Caps definitely know what to expect. Their planning and game strategy has been on point here so far. Expect them to have plans in place for each of the Afghan batters and a method to counter all the Afghan bowlers.

It's going to be a battle between natural flair versus professional excellence. In my last article I wrote that at the end of the Chennai leg of the Black Caps campaign, the DJ will be playing "1, 2, 3, 4, get on the dance floor" to celebrate their four wins in a row. I am sure Rashid Khan and Co will try their best to change that tune to "Afghan Jalebi.

Rahul Patil is a Wellington-based Indian-born cricket writer, who is following NZ's fortunes at this World Cup