In the first Test of the current series New Zealand are playing in, Tim McIntosh became the first NZ opener to bag a pair in India. These things happen, often to the best of players. Graham Gooch bagged a king pair on debut for England, for instance, and went on to become that country's leading run scorer. This game isn't called Test cricket for no reason and a player can be judged not on such failings, but how they respond to it. How strong are they mentally? Can they put failure behind them, not dwell on it and come back? McIntosh can.
First, he saw his opening partner, Brendon McCullum, perish for just four and moments later Martin Guptill edged behind to MS Dhoni and set off back for the pavilion. What Guptill had failed to notice was the umpire's outstretched arm. He'd been caught off a no-ball and was recalled to the crease. Some five and half hours later, a clearly exhausted McIntosh was fourth man out having made a gritty hundred in New Zealand's 253/4.
That's how you respond to getting a pair, by growing a pair.
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