"My cricketing brain certainly hasn't been switched off" - Kane Williamson on quitting Test captaincy

New Zealand cricket's poster boy Kane Williamson has shared his experience of playing Test cricket after relinquishing the captaincy last year.

Williamson stepped down as the Black Caps red-ball skipper in December 2022, handing over the reins to senior fast bowler Tim Southee.

The decision seems to have paid rich dividends for New Zealand as their batting mainstay has rediscovered his mojo and has been scoring a bucketful of runs.

Kane Williamson has piled up 776 runs in 10 innings at an average of 94.5, including two double-tons and two centuries, since quitting the Test captaincy.

The 32-year-old was speaking at a press conference organized by Gujarat Titans, when he shed light on his experience in the 5-day game in the post-captaincy era. Here's what he had to say:

"My cricketing brain certainly hasn't been switched off. When you're out on the field, you're trying to do as much as you can for the team. Whether that's assisting where you can when you're called upon for your ideas or otherwise."

Williamson further said:

"It's quite a natural thing to be engaged in the game but having said that it [the decision to step down as Test captain] has taken a little bit off my plate, which was a large part of the reason for making that decision. Often, it's the parts around it [captaincy], where you get a little bit more time back. I've always thought it was never a 'forever job', it requires a lot of energy, and I really enjoyed my time in that specific role. I do enjoy being involved in leadership, which is basically helping where I can."

Kane Williamson also shared his experience of playing under his successor Southee's leadership in the New Zealand men's Test side.

He said:

"Less commitments off the field. It's been a really enjoyable thing in terms of playing under Tim Southee, who is captaining the Test team and doing a great job. Having said that, there's transition involved [of going from captain to just a player] without a doubt, there's perhaps less commitments off the field."

"It's something I'm excited about as well" - Kane Williamson on playing under Hardik Pandya in IPL 2023

Williamson was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad in November last year, which meant he no longer had the weight of captaincy on his shoulders in the IPL.

The Kiwi superstar led SRH in 46 matches across three and a half seasons, with the highlight reel encompassing the final of IPL 2018. He was sold to defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans for his base price of INR 2 crores.

Speaking about the opportunity to play under Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Kane Williamson mentioned:

"It's still a change, something that I'm experiencing at the moment and working through. I'm fortunate to have a number of leaders in the New Zealand environment. And then to come here and have Hardik [Pandya] captaining the side, it's something I'm excited about as well."

Gujarat Titans will play the IPL 2023 opener against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings on Friday (March 31) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.