Rahul to be key player in NZ Tests: Boult

The seasoned KL Rahul will be India’s main batter in the two-Test series against New Zealand beginning November 19, reckons former Black Caps left-arm quick Trent Boult.

The 37-year-old Boult, who has 317 Test wickets to his name, is a big admirer of Rahul’s batting style and expects the Indian opener to be among the key players in the series.

The marathon tour, beginning October 22, also features 10 white-ball games and is part of the centenary celebration of the India-New Zealand sporting ties.

“I’m always a big fan of KL Rahul and his style of batsmanship. So he’s a big player at the top of the order for the Indian side. And yeah, I believe Jaiswal is there as well. Two classy batters to see bat. So yeah, be interesting to see,” Boult said in an exclusive interview to PTI, felicitated by organisers of the European T20 Premier League.

“It’s always an exciting chance when the Indian team comes down to play Test cricket in New Zealand,” he added.

The timing of the tour, late October-November rather than the traditional February-March window that India has been using, could make conditions particularly challenging for the batters as Boult expects the weather to be cold.

“The only thing I can see happening is it’s going to be late October. I believe, just coming out of winter. So it’s going to be quite cold. Hopefully, there’s a bit of greenness in the wickets for some of our bowlers.

“It’s going to be a good series, I’m sure,” the left-arm exponent of swing bowling gave his observations about conditions that he expects in Wellington and Christchurch.

Boult and Tim Southee formed a formidable new-ball partnership for New Zealand over many years, but the veteran feels the current group also has enough variety and quality to create its own identity, with Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke offering different strengths.

I think the bowling is very well balanced. It’s got bases covered in terms of a good pace, obviously, with Will O’Rourke.

Obviously, a bit of swing and a bit of bounce from Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry with his accuracy.

“So yeah, I think the way me, Tim and Wags did it over the years was a unique way in itself. But there’s other strengths and other game plans that our younger bowlers can follow.”

Boult also paid tribute to Neil Wagner, whose relentless approach and ability to extract the best out of difficult situations made him a vital part of New Zealand’s bowling attack alongside Boult and Southee.

“I don’t think you can compare anyone to Neil Wagner. He had that unique ability to find something out of nothing basically in the Test arena and he always wore his heart on his sleeve and gave everything.

“So he was a big part of the New Zealand team at the time, but a new look side now and a new look way of playing.”