Batsman Ross Taylor on verge of a special ton

Will become the first to play 100 matches in each format

He’s a modern batsman with bat speed and whiplash hits who can also play the delicate strokes. Ross Taylor can wait for the ball to land, turn it off the surface and essay the late-cut.

Of course, some of his horizontal bat shots can be fierce too. Not many batsmen have put the slog-sweep to such devastating effect as Taylor has done.

Touch of class

From 2007, when he made his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg, Taylor has been with this New Zealand side through the seasons, often making his mark with a touch of class.

How wonderful it would be then that this Wellington-born charmer would be playing his 100th Test, in front of his family, friends and fans, when he steps on the field against India on Friday at the Basin Reserve, his home ground.

He is versatile, across formats. Taylor, in fact, is on the verge of becoming the first batsman to play 100 matches in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. He has played 231 ODIs and 100 T20Is. “It’s satisfying. People now-a-days give up on a format to focus on the others,” he said.

Natural strokemaker

He has indeed been a natural strokemaker, galloping on his skills when the going is good, conjuring moments of magic. And he has shown the heart to survive periods of struggle. His appetite for runs hasn’t diminished a tad. “I am still as hungry as ever to score runs. After my first series, I wouldn’t have been putting much money on myself to be playing 100 Tests, that’s for sure.”

Not surprisingly, he got a call from another Kiwi in the 100-Test club — Brendon McCullum. Soon a message from Daniel Vettori, one more century-of-Tests man, arrived.

India captain Virat Kohli paid his tribute. “He’s one guy who has made an impact a lot of times for New Zealand. I have been fortunate enough to play with him in the RCB. Lovely guy, I get along really well with him. Really hardworking and a very keen thinker of the game.”

Passion, not job

Cricket, for Taylor, was a passion and not a job. “I guess it’s a proud milestone, more so in Tests. I love playing cricket, first and foremost. It’s not a job, it’s something you love doing,” he said.

Asked about the key to defeating India, the 35-year-old Taylor said, “They are the world’s best side and leading the World Championship. To win Test matches, you got to be good in all three facets.”

High highs, low lows

On his remarkable journey, Taylor said, “I have had some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows. Been able to deal with it the whole way through your career. I wouldn’t put one thing that outweighs anything, just the whole journey. Failures along the way shapes you as a person.”

Looking at the forthcoming Test, Taylor pointed out that the Indian attack was not about Jasprit Bumrah alone. He said the pitch at the Basin looked the same every time but played differently each time. He looked at the series against India as a sort of redemption after the debacle against Australia.

He’s still full of beans. Ask Taylor and he will tell you that life begins at 100!

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