Mike Hesson is a diminutive man. He talks in a manner that is soft too.
Underneath the affable exterior, this 39-year-old from Otago is a tough coach. For New Zealand, he is someone who has made things happen.
Speaking after the Kiwis’ emphatic 4-0 ODI series triumph, Hesson looked forward to the two-Test series.
Although Hesson revealed key all-rounder Corey Anderson was nursing a minor rotator cuff problem, he was confident about his fitness. “He could have played on Friday (fifth ODI) had we wanted to.”
There are other fitness issues. The 24-year-old left-arm pace spearhead, Trent Boult, will be coming back after missing three weeks of cricket due to a little tear in quad muscle.
Hesson was hopeful on Boult’s fitness for the first Test. “Trent’s playing at the moment. He trained with us for a week before he left again to play for northern districts. We just hope he gets through this game and is firing in a week’s time.”
Hesson felt India would be a stronger side in Tests with Cheteshwar Pujara and Zaheer Khan around. “We played against Pujara when we were in India, a year-and-a-half ago, just when he was in his infancy. He looks a high quality player and his record suggests that.
“Zaheer obviously has been out for a while but he is quite a crafty character in conditions that suit him. So it will be a challenge for us.”
On what New Zealand could take with it to the Test series following its resounding 4-0 triumph in the ODIs, Hesson said, “There will definitely be some confidence, confidence within the group that we can compete with these guys who are a good side. But we know it is a different format.”
Asked whether the Kiwi pacemen would use the short-pitched delivery as a weapon in the upcoming series, Hesson said, “Yeah, conditions allow absolutely. I think it is the ability to push the guys back and then bowl their natural length, obviously presenting the seam so that we can find the outside edge. That is the sort of formula that we have had for a while.”
Considering five of the top seven batsmen who played in the ODIs could feature in the Tests, Hesson said “I think we had a good look at the Indian seam attack. Clearly the conditions will be a little different, particularly in the first innings of the game.”
He continued, “The Indian seamers are good bowlers, especially if there is a little bit in the wicket. We have got to prepare accordingly. This is a quick change in format, so we need to make that shift. Our openers (Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford) have come off some form domestically. So hopefully they can set the tone for us.”
Dwelling on a famous Kiwi ODI series triumph, Hesson said the plans made by him and skipper Brendon McCullum were executed to near perfection. “It all went very well as planned but you need quality players to have executed those specific roles under pressure. The players understood and trained for those roles.”
