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The preparation for the World Test Championship final has begun. It may not be in terms of actual practice for the majority of the Indian squad at the moment but surely in terms of tactics and strategies. However, for New Zealand's Devon Conway, there is no time to waste. He has not only started preparing for the all-important summit clash but has even taken a unique approach to face the renowned Indian spinners.
The Kiwi batter is reportedly sprinkling kitty litter on practice wickets to simulate spin bowling on the rough, hoping it would help him face the likes of R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja during the clash at Southampton next month. The 29-year-old has been named in the 20-member squad for the 2-match Test series against England, which precedes the WTC final. The same squad will be trimmed to 15 for the match against India.
The idea is to get the ball to sort of spit out of the rough: Conway
"Basically the idea is to get the ball to sort of spit out of the rough," Conway told Spark Sport. "It's a bit harder to play, but good practice. It's about finding a game plan to combat that and just practice how you're going to play in the game," he added.
The Johannesburg-born cricketer revealed his plan of trying to play with a positive attitude against the spinner. He mentioned that he is not looking to just defend the spinners but will play his strokes.
"When it does roughen up and the ball does spit and turn a lot, it's all about being positive," he said.
“If you're going to look to just defend throughout, at some point there might be a ball that's going to have your number," he signed off.