Young credits Stead’s drills for tackling spinners well

NZ opener Will Young en route his 89 on Saturday. Pic/AFP

New Zealand opener Will Young on Saturday credited his coach Gary Stead for teaching him the art of playing spin after hitting a career-best 89 in tough batting conditions on Day Three of the Kanpur Test against India.

Young, 29, who smashed 14 boundaries, said it was a rigorous stint with Stead early in his career which helped him to tackle the spinners well. "It was three or four years ago now. He had just come back and I jumped on the back of a bunch of fellow cricketers to learn about the art of batting and playing spin in India," he said during a virtual press conference here.

Gary Stead

"At one point, Gary and I were training for nearly two weeks and one of the drills was the sweep without the front pad on," Young recalled about his stint with his then Canterbury Cricket Club coach. "It was about sweeping the balls otherwise you would get bruised...so it was one thing Gary taught me and yeah it's still a work in progress - the sweep shot."

Included in the side for injured Devon Conway, Young fell 11 short of a century after edging R Ashwin with substitute 'keeper KS Bharat grabbing a stunning low catch. "You can't just rest on your laurels. I'm grateful for another opportunity to represent New Zealand and contribute with the bat," he said.

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