Mumbai . New Zealand defeated India historically 30, with the team overcoming a variety of challenges. The biggest hurdle among them was the nature of the pitches, which had different conditions for the teams in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai.
The weather played a big role in the pitch for the first Test and New Zealand took full advantage of the pacefriendly conditions to defeat India in the first innings, essentially turning the game in their favour. The Pune wicket, although conducive to spin, was slow and the slower bowlers needed to readjust to it. Again, the visitors understood the conditions better and their spinners, led by Mitchell Santner, laid the foundation for New Zealand's first series win against India. Then came Mumbai and this time Ajaz Patel bowled in familiar conditions as he helped New Zealand overcome the challenge of Rishabh Pant and become the first team to achieve a whitewash (minimum 3 Tests) in India.
Speaking to the media in a Zoom conference, Ijaz highlighted the different circumstances New Zealand is facing and their preparedness to face the challenge. “There have been three different surfaces and three different matches, and I think we know very well that one of the challenges of going to Asia is that the conditions change all the time and you have to adapt and Conditions change very quickly even within the match. I mean even in this Mumbai Test I was bowling…I think in the first innings and I thought I was bowling really well, but the wicket Wasn't really turning and then I came back after lunch and suddenly everything started happening.
Ijaz, who also said that New Zealand had prepared well at home to face different pitches in the subcontinent, said, “So I think when you come to the subcontinent it is about getting that skill set and that range. It's all about whether it's bowling in the 90s or bowling in the 80s and being able to adapt to those boundaries from the start because as I said, it's also about reading the surface quickly. That said, conditions change at a constant rate; sometimes the conditions in the morning can be very different from the conditions in the middle of the session and so as a spinner it is important to know how to make the most of it, how to change your pace. “How to move the ball up and down while keeping it in shape.”
He said, “If I'm honest with you, we had a great winter at home where we prepared on turning wickets and we made sure we had different surfaces on which we practiced and tried, so I think we were also prepared to bowl on different surfaces. So yes, it's very much about preparation, but then it's about supporting your skills and I think you go out there and really do it. I know.”
Ahead of the Test series against India, New Zealand lost vital preparation time with the Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida abandoned due to rain. In the subsequent twomatch series against Sri Lanka, they were defeated 20 by the hosts, with New Zealand losing the toss in both matches and having to bat second. However, in India, they had the best batting conditions and New Zealand made sure they took advantage of it.
Talking about how important the toss factor is in Asian conditions, Ijaz said: “I think, from Sri Lanka to here, I don't think we were much different, to be honest. I think we played against Sri Lanka. Played some very good cricket, but unfortunately (we lost the series). When you come to the subcontinent, the toss is very important and bowling in the last innings is much more important than bowling in the third innings, especially on turning wickets. -Can make a difference sometimes as spinners.
“While the results in Sri Lanka didn't go in our favour, I don't think we played too badly or anything like that. Even from the batting department, we still got runs on the board. It was just a matter of, I think, You know, we had a little bit of bad luck in the series.”
Ijaz credited spin consultant Rangana Herat for his contribution and strategic insight that helped New Zealand's spinners come out on top against the Indian batsmen. He also talked about the importance of straight deliveries for spinners and how it makes it difficult for batsmen on turning tracks, and also how New Zealand's batsmen were well prepared in this regard.
“Obviously he's got a lot of experience in the subcontinent and his record speaks for itself in terms of bowling leftarm spin. So I mean, it was great for me to have him because we both have very similar bowling styles. Same thing, but I think it's great.
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Image Credit: KhasKhabar.