Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson feels that India were probably the best equipped team to have played a Test series in New Zealand in recent years even though they ended up losing 2-0. India were completely outplayed by the Kiwis, losing the first Test by 10 wickets and the second by seven. But the former Kiwi coach begs to differ and feels that the conditions were tough.
“I thought India are probably be the best equipped to have travelled to New Zealand, but the conditions were challenging,” Hesson told the Mumbai Mirror. “They weren’t ridiculous in any means, and they were challenging in both games (in the two Tests which India lost).”
India had batted first in both Tests and Hesson said that was an important factor as conditions got better as the matches wore on. 
“The New Zealand conditions were challenging for everybody, especially in the first innings. Things certainly got easy later on. The first innings was challenging for anyone coming from overseas,” he said. 
Hardly any Indian batsman made a mark in the series, including captain and second ranked Test batsman in the world Virat Kohli. Hesson feels that Kohli and the others simply didn’t get any time to adjust to the conditions 
“When the ball seams, there is very little time to adjust. You need time to adjust your technique. He certainly was not the only one (to have struggled). Also, New Zealand’s plans for Virat were exceptional. New Zealand have had the best of attacks for a long time and they challenged the Indians,” he said. 
Hesson is currently holed up in an apartment in Bengaluru. He was set to coach Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2020 season of the Indian Premier League but the season is under a cloud of uncertainty due to its postponement to April 15 and the subsequent three-week lockdown imposed by the Indian government. 
The whole cricket calendar has grinded to a halt as well and Hesson feels that this will affect the game financially. 
“No business model of a sport can survive without income coming in. It will be a huge challenge to every nation around the world on how they are going to deal with this period of uncertainty. The world is dealing with things far more important than sports at the moment. But once we get to the other side, it will be a challenge,” he said.


Break in season welcome for India’s players, says coach


The pause in cricket due to the coronavirus pandemic will allow India’s jaded players to recharge their batteries, according to head coach Ravi Shastri. 
The flu-like virus has halted sporting events across the globe as countries have gone into lockdown to contain the spread, with more than 550,000 people infected globally and nearly 25,000 dead, according to a Reuters tally.
“It cannot be a bad thing. Because towards the end of the New Zealand tour, you could see some cracks coming up when it came to mental fatigue, physical fitness and injuries,” Shastri told a Sky Sports cricket podcast.
“The amount of cricket we have played over the last 10 months was beginning to take its toll. Guys like me, and some other guys from the support staff left India on May 23 for the World Cup in England. 
“Since then we have been at home for 10 or 11 days.”
India called off a home one-day international series against South Africa after the first match, while the cricket board (BCCI) has also postponed the start of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament until April 15. The country is currently in a 21-day lockdown until April 14 and the fate of the popular IPL is unclear. 
Many national team players, including India’s captain Virat Kohli, have taken to social media to spread awareness about the virus and the importance of staying at home.
“There are certain players who played all three formats of the game,” Shastri, a former India all-rounder, added.
“You can imagine the toll it has taken on them, especially being on the field, adjusting from T20s to test match cricket and all the travel that goes with that because we travelled quite a lot.
“After England, we went to the West Indies, then played South Africa here (in India). We had a season of two and a half months here and then again off to New Zealand. So it has been tough but a welcome rest for players.