CHENNAI: 'Nau mai hoki mai', is how they say 'Welcome Back' in Māori, the indigenous language of mainland New Zealand. There were not many Māori speaking people at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here, but when Kane Williamson walked out to the middle for the toss against Bangladesh, the feeling was unanimous. After a seven-month-long injury hiatus that started in India, the 33-year-old got one of the loudest cheers when the DJ announced his name. Even when the announcer made a mistake and said 'New Zealand Captain, Tom Latham' the crowd let him know that it was Williamson leading the side.
You can imagine the loyal Chennai Super Kings fan base cheering their hearts out for Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner. They are more or less two local boys for the crowd as Santner has been part of the side since 2019 and Conway since 2022. 'Kane Mama', as he is affectionately named by the fans, spent eight years with Sunrisers Hyderabad before moving to Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2023 season. But one glance at the 14,369 strong attendance at Chepauk, and you could see a sizable number of crowd donning the NZ jersey no 22. One reason could be because the street vendors were selling the replica shirts, but there is a deeper sense of belongingness with New Zealand and Kane.
"With the World Cups, usually the home countries are the favourites amongst the fans. But because of IPL, for many international players, India is their second home," Sasikumar, a local fan who was in attendance for the match, told this daily. "Many people will tell you that New Zealand is their second favourite cricket team. It's because of the way they play their cricket and handle themselves on the field. I think, for most of us, after MS Dhoni, Kane is one of the coolest captains. The team goes one step above when playing under Kane's leadership," he added.
And he did not disappoint the crowd. He received all the hooting and cheering from the 'knowledgable Chennai crowd' when we ran across the field to save runs and dived to attempt a catch. But they were all waiting for him to bat. Then in the third over of the chase, it happened. Rachin Ravindra, after hitting two fours off Mustafizur Rahman in the over, edged through to the keeper, and Williamson walked in with a cheer only reserved for local heroes and some of the most beloved overseas internationals. The banners of "We love Kane Mama" and "Welcome back, legend" went up.
Williamson didn't go gung-ho from the first delivery. He is neither known for it nor did the situation demand him to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Shoriful Islam tested him with a persistent line and length, but Williamson just let it go. When Conway was dropped off Rahman's bowling, the captain spent significant time chatting with the opener, probably calming his nerves a bit in the powerplay. In the beginning, when the runs were not coming off his bat, Williamson was the portrayal of calmness.
Once Williamson got his chance in Islam's fifth over, he smashed the left-arm pacer for two boundaries through the point region. Even the introduction of spin from both ends in captain Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, couldn't break the Zen-like batting of the captain, other than one missed chance where Taskin Ahned dropped him at midwicket.
Conway's wicket in the 21st over ended a partnership of 80 runs, but Williamson kept on batting. He brought up his half-century on the return and even added a century partnership with number four, Daryl Mitchell. All of this without any flamboyance and a lot of support from the crowd.
With everything hinting towards a memorable evening for Williamson, at the start of the 38th over, he got hit on the thumb at the non-strikers' end while taking a quick single. Cricket Gods can be cruel sometimes. He endured the pain for an over and walked away when his team was inching closer to the target. The worried murmurs in the crowd followed. But with 78 runs on his account after a long break, Williamson had done his job.
Willamson's return to action might not have been in a fashion where you could re-enact the famous Rajinikanth dialogue from Kabali — Na thirumbi vanthuten nu sollu (tell them, I am back) — but it sure was a gentle Nalvaravu (Welcome back) at Chepauk. The intent of his injury means it will be a nervous wait to see if he will be available for the for the next match against Afghanistan at the same venue, but the cricket world will remember the day when they collectively said 'Nau mai hoki mai' to one of the universally loved champion of cricket.
