“Special, Special Day for Me” — Justin Greaves Celebrates Magnificent Double Hundred Against New Zealand

Justin Greaves played a remarkable knock that helped West Indies pull off a stunning draw against New Zealand in the first test at Christchurch. He scored a magnificent double hundred while playing with tail-ender Kemar Roach on the last day of the first test. This was indeed a special effort from Greaves that allowed West Indies to save a match that had once looked completely lost.

Describing the match situation and his own herculean effort at the post-match press conference, Justin Greaves said that he tried to remain resilient till the end of the match. This was the major reason why he backed his defence and kept on playing with Roach to save the match.

"[It was] just pretty much being resilient - the word we've thrown around in the dressing room a lot. So for me, to be there at the end was really important. So anything for the team at the end of the day.” said Justin Greaves at the post-match press conference.

He then described his chat with head coach Floyd Reifer, who urged him to stay at the crease once he was settled. The West Indies coach gave him the example of Rachin Ravindra and Tom Latham, who also played big knocks by occupying the crease.

"I had a really long chat with coach Floyd Reifer. And he was saying, once you get in, stay in; it's a good pitch. Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tom] Latham showed us in the second innings. So it was just for us to go out there and play ourselves." said Justin Greaves.

The batter then shared his emotions after scoring a superlative, match-saving double hundred against New Zealand. He described it as a ‘special day’ for him, one that will motivate him to perform with more intensity in the upcoming matches.

"Special, special day for me; special day for the team. We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, batting the whole day after losing Shai [Hope]... We thought we would have probably pushed for a win. But then Kemar, the senior pro, guided me all the way. So pretty much happy for him being there at the end as well.” said Justin Greaves.

"To be a part of history is ecstatic. But for me, one day at a time, continue to enjoy it. Probably it hasn't sunk in just yet. Hopefully, over the next couple of days, it can." added Justin Greaves.

Speaking about the match situation when he walked out to bat, Justin Greaves said that he tried to stay at the crease until the final session. That was his priority from the start of his innings, and it helped him absorb the pressure exerted by New Zealand.

"For us, it was just about getting to the last session. We always spoke about 100 runs in the last session, probably with a few more wickets in hand. Obviously, losing Shai and then losing Imlach shortly after was a big thing. But I think we did really well in the end to come up with a draw." said Justin Greaves.

A Firm Plan to Bat Out the Final Hour

The captain of West Indies, Roston Chase, revealed the strategy of the Caribbean team when Greaves and Roach were batting in the middle. He said the duo planned to play out the last session without taking risks, as the required runs to win the match were still too many.

"Going back at tea, the guys wanted to see if they could push for the runs. But it didn't quite work out the way they wanted.” said Roston Chase.

“When the last hour came, when they came off for the water break, we had a discussion. They said they would just play out. And we didn't think that was a bad idea at that time. So we were happy for them to just straight up play out and that's what they did." added Roston Chase.

The innings from Justin Greaves to save the match was truly special. He showcased how a strong defence could still work for batters to get successful in test cricket. The young star is now confident to take this momentum into the second test match which will start from December 10 in Wellington.