07 October,2023 08:32 AM IST | Ahmedabad | Santosh Suri
Rachin Ravindra (right) with Devon Conway during their 273-run stand on Thursday. Pic/PTI
Have New Zealand set a template for other teams to follow in the World Cup in the way they fought fire with fire and outplayed defending champions England? Well, it's too early to say as it was just the opening game of a long-drawn tournament. Surely, one swallow does not make a summer, but it does provide a peek into what to expect over the next few weeks.
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The way Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra produced that big match-winning alliance does give teams the thought of resetting their tactics going into the tournament. Of course, the conditions will not be the same at every venue, but it will give confidence to the teams that being conservatively aggressive and positive is the way forward.
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While many England players lost their wickets to extravagant strokes, like the reverse sweep, to give away a good start, the two Kiwi batsmen were more restrained and did not throw their hands.
Even England captain Jos Buttler was impressed by the way the duo went about the job. "I think the two guys, if I look back, it wasn't like they were playing outrageous shots or scooping it over the 'keeper's head. They played excellent cricket shots and got fantastic value on that pitch. I thought it was a fantastic batting wicket. The margin felt very small for the bowlers and if you're a little bit off, they put you away. So, I thought those two guys played really, really well and put together quite an incredible partnership."
The England skipper promised to come back stronger after the thrashing, saying, "We're not robots. Sometimes you don't play as well as you would like. Everyone's working hard, everyone's prepared well and, as I said, we were just a bit off.
In international cricket, when you're a little bit short and the opposition play very well, you're going to lose the game of cricket. So, there's plenty of stuff for us to work on and get better at the start of a long tournament. As I said, it's one loss. It's a tough one, but we'll be better for the next one."
