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New Zealand can reach World Cup final, says coach

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Wellington: New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said the 15-member strong squad selected for next month’s cricket World Cup possesses the right mix of youth and experience to realise the Kiwis’ dream of entering the finals.

“I think within the squad we’ve got an ability to adapt to different conditions and I don’t think we’ll be rolling out the same 11 every game, depending on the surfaces we face,” Hesson was quoted as saying by cricket.com au Friday.

“The fact we’ve got two spinners in the squad gives us options, the fact we’ve got guys with genuine pace means we can attack different sides in different ways.”

Grant Elliot’s inclusion raised eyebrows as the all-rounder hasn’t played for the national team since November 2013, but Hesson justified his recall saying he provides the team multiple options which they require.

“Grant has performed well in New Zealand and Australian conditions. He’s in good form, he’s able to offer us a bowling option, and he’s experienced,” he said.

“He’s also got a bit of craft about him in terms of how he manoeuvres the ball – he’s a welcome addition to the squad.”

Skipper Brendon McCullum said it was exciting to see the squad coming together, with just over five weeks until their first game against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch Feb 14.

“On paper, it’s without doubt the strongest team I’ve certainly been involved with heading into a World Cup,” he said.

“But games aren’t won on paper, so we’ve got to make sure we’re able to transfer the look of our squad to performance out on the field.”

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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia

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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.

Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”

Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.

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