Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is optimistic about Kane Williamson's return from injury, asserting that the New Zealand captain is prepared to adopt a more daring approach to secure victory in the Men's ODI World Cup 2023, unlike his cautious strategy in 2019.
In the lead-up to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Williamson, recuperating from a severe knee injury, spent almost seven months on the sidelines. His comeback showcased resilience, contributing an unbeaten 78 in New Zealand's dominant eight-wicket triumph over Bangladesh during the 2023 World Cup league stage in Chennai.
However, a setback occurred as he sustained a thumb injury in a win over Bangladesh, causing him to miss four subsequent matches. Nevertheless, he made a strong return in the last two league matches.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar delved into Williamson's recovery and discussed the strategies for the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final against India at Wankhede Stadium. Despite India's challenging record against New Zealand in white-ball ICC tournaments, with the Black Caps winning nine of 14 encounters, Gavaskar expressed confidence in Williamson's prowess.
Gavaskar emphasized Williamson's adept footwork and strategic prowess, foreseeing his ability to handle challenges, including facing spinner Kuldeep Yadav, with finesse.
The cricket legend remarked, "I don’t think he is going to be fussed about playing Kuldeep; he will know how to tackle him. If needed, you don’t want to hit him for boundaries; just work it away for six singles if that is required. Then, six runs an over is a good scoring rate by any standard, so he will look to do that. When the boundary ball comes along, he will hit the boundary ball, so we’ve seen his willingness to take more risks.”
"We haven’t seen that side of Kane Williamson maybe in 2019, but here, we have seen him take the aerial route. He got out on a shot for a 100 the other day; he got out on 95, but that’s because he had taken the aerial route, and he will probably look to do that against Kuldeep Yadav as well," he added.
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