Sodhi working on pace, energy
| Published date | 22 October 2021 |
| Publication title | Sports Tab |
COVID prevented him taking up a brief management role with IPL team the Rajasthan Royals this year.
His preparation instead included a quick-hit mission at English county Worcestershire, six days in Pakistan quarantine before the Black Caps tour was abandoned, and the unexpected chance to be a hands-on dad during a month in lockdown with wife, Ange, and 16-month-old daughter, Dahlia, at the family’s Christchurch home.
The 28-year-old Sodhi chats from Dubai about the Black Caps’ World Cup chances, the great Shane Warne’s secret ingredient, Pakistan’s anger, the lonely life of a legspinner, the school teachers who saved him, the delivery which drives him mad, his top tips for kids, and more.
How is life in the bubble?
Fortunately, we’ve been able to get all our team on one hotel floor ... tour life can be a lonely place anyway and it’s been magnified by this. But the tight and restrictive bubbles are vital — if a couple of COVID cases get into the tournament it will be hard to control. A couple of the lads have got these brilliant coffee machines ... we’re trying to find ways of making it like normal touring life but it is challenging.
Do the players feel there is a tournament favourite?
I saw something on TV saying the West Indies are the ninth-ranked T20 team in the world, yet I look at their squad and think ‘‘wow’’ ... match winners, great firepower, great bowlers, huge experience. It’s anyone’s tournament.
Many of the pitches have been used a lot during the second leg of the IPL so it will be interesting to see if they are tired or have been brought back to life with more pace. Then it will be about the teams which adapt to the conditions the best.
Has New Zealand’s World Test Championship triumph boosted team confidence in any way?
It has got to send waves of belief through the group. It has been a very consistent period across all formats for New Zealand, and we have some of the greatest cricketers the country has ever produced. To see the way they set the standards, take on high pressure situations, lead from the front ... and the way they keep coming back for more. It’s a really cool environment to be part of.
Former Pakistani players such as Shoaib Akhtar slammed the Black Caps for quitting the tour. Will it add spice to your opening T20 clash?
I have a lot of sympathy for the Pakistan fans and players — they were really...
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