11 Compelling facts about Ross Taylor: The King of the leg side

Ross Taylor is a man blessed with immense power and wonderful wrists. If a ball is bowled to him on the body, there is a good chance of it clearing the ropes at the very least. His ability to give the cricket ball ‘a proper whack’ has seen him earn the reputation of a top-order batsman capable of challenging ‘world class’ bowling attacks. On his 32nd birthday, we take a look at Ross Taylor, the man behind the fours and sixes.

1. Birth:

Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor was born on the 8th of March 1984 in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.

2. A Samoan ancestry:

Given his name, it is rather easy to deduce that Taylor is at least part Samoan. He boasts of Samoan ancestry on his mother’s side.

3. First love for hockey:

Ross Taylor’s first tryst with sport in general, was hockey. In spite of being a skilled hockey player, Taylor’s prowess with the cricket bat was noted at an early age. The Guardian journalist, Steven Smart described Ross Taylor’s initial steps in sport. “A skilled hockey player, he was even better at cricket and his precociousness as a schoolboy in small-town Wairarapa, east of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island, meant he was batting against adults – sledging and all – from the age of 12. But, if anything, the process of harsh lessons learnt on the hoof has actually accelerated.”

4. Ross the Boss:

Ross Taylor was drafted into the Royal Challengers Bangalore side for the inaugural edition of the IPL. However, he began to find his feet only in the second edition. His exploits in the tournament included an unbeaten 81 off 33 balls against the Kolkata Knight riders. He became a local hero for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. A placard in one of the matches read ‘Ross the Boss’.

5. The King of the leg side:

Ross Taylor is known to favor the leg side while batting. The strong wrist developed during his hockey playing days has seen him clear the mid wicket fence with considerable ease. Hooking, pulling and sweeping come to him naturally as he became a formidable Kiwi batsman.

6. Controversial captain:

Taylor’s exploits in all forms of cricket right up to 2010 saw him become a strong contender for the then vacant post of New Zealand captain. An injury to Daniel Vettori saw Taylor become New Zealand captain for the first time in his career. With John Wright as the coach, the duo shared a harmonious relationship. However, after two and a half years as skipper, Taylor stepped down after just 13 Tests. Reports later suggested that Taylor had a sour relationship with coach Mike Hesson. At the moment, the relationship between the duo is a ‘work in progress’.

7. A ‘murderer’ of spinners:

Ross Taylor has one of the highest strike-rates as an RCB batsman and known to be a ‘finisher’. After RCB’s win over Delhi Daredevils at Champions League Twenty20 2009, captain Anil Kumble said that Taylor was a “murderer” of spinners, referring to his explosive innings of 65. In 38 balls, Taylor had scored six 4s and four 6’s and was declared Man of the Match.

8. The best innings of his life:

Ross Taylor’s best innings perhaps came in the 2015/16 Trans-Tasman Trophy against Australia at Perth. He scored his first double hundred and became the highest score by a New Zealand batsman in away Tests and in Australian soil as well. With this feat, he also became the first Kiwi batsman to score a Test double-hundred against Australia and the 2nd fastest among his countrymen to reach 5,000 Test career runs (in 120 innings). his partnership with Kane Williamson of 265-run for the third wicket, which was New Zealand’s highest of all time against Australia for any wicket.

9. ‘The Pallekele Plunderer’:

During the 2011 World Cup, New Zealand faced up to the might of Pakistan in the group stages at Pallekele. On a dry pitch and with the likes of Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi extracting unprecedented spin from the rack, Taylor blasted 131 of just 124 balls. This included 8 fours and 7 sixes. He thus earned the nickname – “The Pallekele Plunderer”.

10. Baptism of fire at the Wanderers:

Ross Taylor made his Test Debut against South Africa on the 8^th of November 2007 at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. He made 15 and 4 in each inning as the Proteas secured a 358 run win.

11. A story of natural aggression:

Ross Taylor came into the side during the transition period of New Zealand cricket. He was drafted into the side at the time Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris and Craig McMillan had announced their retirement. However, his naturally aggressive approach to the game saw him seamlessly fit into the setup and lead the Kiwis through a smoother transition.