'Spin will play a big role': Ryan Ten Doeschate on India-New Zealand clash

Despite being a dead rubber, the India-New Zealand encounter on Sunday demands to be a thrilling encounter, specifically with spin bowlers likely to play a conclusive game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

India will have at least three splendid spinners, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and  Ravindra Jadeja while New Zealand could come up with as many as four, which might include Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips.

Ryan ten Doeschate focused on the point about the growing cruciality of spin at the venue. “Yeah, I think so,” he said ahead of the match. “They’ll have four spinners as well, so it could be a contest of spin. Coming into the tournament, we didn’t expect such an over-reliance on spin, but the bowlers have done well, and the pitch has assisted them a bit. I’m sure it’ll be the same for the next game", he said.

Glenn Phillips also identified the impact spinners could have but warned against underestimating New Zealand’s pacers. “We've got two really good spinners, plus all-rounders like myself and Rachin, who can chip in if needed. But we also have three quality pacers, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and William O’Rourke, who generate variable bounce, which has been tough to play against. The wicket is changing as we move through the tournament, so it’s about performing on the day," Ten Doeschate as quoted by Cricbuzz. 

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Scoring has been challenging at the Dubai Cricket Stadium if looking in to the high totals scored in Pakistan, where other Champions Trophy matches are being played. “It’s not difficult, but we’re used to 320-plus scores without much thought. Here, reaching 320 has been tough. We think 280-290 is a competitive total”, said Ten Doeschate.

Phillips also spoke about New Zealand’s constant stability in selection, contradictory to what it is with India’s depth. “We don’t have as many players to choose from, so guys get longer runs in the team, which builds confidence,” he added.