Blackcaps v India: Devon Conway's Asian sojourn sets platform for ...

Regardless of conditions, regardless of opponents, Devon Conway continues to be the batter the Blackcaps can rely on.

Nine months out from the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, his displays over the past five weeks indicate there's more to come from Conway.

Forced to wait until 29 to make his international debut, Conway's time with the Blackcaps has seen him as one of New Zealand's top performers - if not the best - from the outset.

An exceptional record across all three formats has left fans wondering - and worrying - when the law of averages would catch up with Conway. 

A double-century on test debut out of position at the top of the order in England, coupled with tons in both red and white-ball cricket in New Zealand, and a matchwinning Twenty20 performance in Australia have proven that Conway can perform in familiar conditions.

But the ultimate gauge of western batters in modern cricket are performances in Asia.

While playing in countries like New Zealand, England and Australia presents its own challenges, batting in Pakistan and India is another altogether.

Batters must be adept with using their feet to spin bowlers, judging lengths and turn off the pitch, rather than playing through the line of the ball, like they can at home.

Conway, 31, has answered all those questions, with a test century against Pakistan, followed by a 138 in a losing cause against India at Indore.

With this year's World Cup scheduled for the subcontinent, Conway has surely passed any audition over his ability to bat in Asia with flying colours.

"I'm certainly pretty happy with how things have gone, personally, over the last month and a half," said Conway.

"There's been a lot of [lessons] for me, how to attack spin in the subcontinent. I've had to learn how to sweep, reverse sweep and put bowlers under pressure as much as possible."

Conway hasn't been alone in his achievements. Top-order partnerships with Kane Williamson and Tom Latham - New Zealand's best players of spin - have set the perfect example for Conway early in his international career. 

"I've been very fortunate to have good experience in our group. We had Kane with us in Pakistan, it gave me the opportunity to have those conversations with him and Tommy Latham - guys who've played here in these conditions quite often - and see how they go about it.

"For me, I can take a lot of [lessons] moving forward, especially for the World Cup coming up."