Even after losing Devon Conway before New Zealand's two-test series against India, replacement opener Will Young has made sure to give Blackcaps selectors a difficult decision to make going forward.
Conway, 30, was ruled out of the two-test series last month, after breaking his hand punching his bat in New Zealand's Twenty20 World Cup semi-final win against England.
In his absence, Young has given another reminder of his undeniable ability with the bat, making 89 at the top of the order with Tom Latham in the Blackcaps' first innings, to cement himself as a contender for a regular spot in the New Zealand first XI.
The "how" was just as important as the "how many" for Young, as the 29-year-old right-hander showed off impressive footwork and judgement against India's three-pronged spin attack, as well as incredible composure batting on a wicket that was deteriorating from day one.
Young's knock was all the more impressive given that he hadn't played any red ball cricket since June, when he made 82 filling in for Kane Williamson batting at No.3 in New Zealand's series-sealing win over England in Birmingham.
But while Young is yet to cement himself as an automatic starter in the Blackcaps' first-choice XI, those two innings won't harm his chances, having been forced to bide his time to break into the New Zealand world champion test side.
Capable of batting anywhere in the top six, Young's performance in Kanpur will leave selectors with some tricky choices to make coming into New Zealand's home summer.
And now with four tests and two half-centuries under his belt, Young is happy to soak up the experience of playing at the highest level for his country after his return to the side.
"It was really nice to spend some time in the middle in the first innings, and build a nice partnership with Tommy there," Young says.
"It's early in my test career, and it's great to have the opportunity to play in India - playing test cricket in India is one of the toughest challenges there are.
"It's cool to have this opportunity and to get things underway over here."
While the dramatic final-day draw was undoubtedly the highlight for New Zealand supporters in Kanpur, the opening stand between Young and Latham should be a close second.
Batting for more than 66 overs together, Young and Latham (95) added 151 for the first wicket in New Zealand's first innings, the highest partnership of the match for either side in terms of both runs scored and balls faced.
And with Conway earmarked as the man to replace Ross Taylor as New Zealand's long term No.4, Young's performance answers the question of who could partner Latham going forward.
The biggest question for now will be what to do with Young once Conway returns to fitness for New Zealand's upcoming home summer, with fixtures lined up against Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands.
But the opening stand was just reward for not just Young and Latham, but all of the Blackcaps batters, who'd made an effort as a group to counteract India's dependency on spin.
"It's really nice to walk out to bat and have a clear, simple plan. As a batting group we got together and did some scouting on the various bowlers and also talked about what the pitch is likely to play like.
"Just walking out to bat with a clear plan, getting into the battle a bit, and as I say, shared a nice partnership with Tom there in the first innings, it was nice to bounce some ideas of him in the middle.
"The end result was a notable first partnership, and managed to get the team into a decent position. I'm pretty pleased with that."
Despite his heroics though, Young has to move on quickly to the Blackcaps' next challenge, with the second and final test beginning on Friday in Mumbai.
And after surviving the fifth day in Kanpur, the Blackcaps should expect even worse batting conditions from Mumbai's ground staff, as the hosts look to deny New Zealand a maiden series victory on Indian soil.
But with the series on the line, Young and Latham have given the Blackcaps the perfect blueprint of how they need to play.
"We're here in Mumbai, and there's been a lot of chat already about Wankhede Stadium and how that might play.
"At the end of the day, it's [about] adjusting to conditions and the various challenges we're presented with.
"The boys are incredibly excited to be here and have the series on the line. It's exciting times."
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