For 53 overs, the strategy was working well as India moved swiftly to 194-4 on a pitch that resembled Wimbledon's centre court
India skipper Virat Kohli after being dismissed for three on Saturday
After the first Test in Wellington, Virat Kohli quipped: "I don't think being cautious or wary will help because you might stop playing your shots. You will start doubting that if even singles are not coming in those conditions, what will you do?"
ADVERTISEMENT
It was obvious that the Indian batsmen would up the tempo in the second Test. They were going to counterattack and put the New Zealand bowlers under pressure regardless of the conditions. Until the stroke of tea, the more aggressive approach was proving effective. Cheteshwar Pujara (54) was striding towards full balls and dispatching them to the fence. Hanuma Vihari (55) took on Neil Wagner's bouncer barrage and struck a few boundaries. Prithvi Shaw (54) ran a couple of quick singles at the start of his innings. Ajinkya Rahane (7) began his knock by driving a good length ball through the covers.
For 53 overs, the strategy was working well as India moved swiftly to 194-4 on a pitch that resembled Wimbledon's centre court.
Head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Kohli would have been elated with their batsmen showing more purpose. But just as India were seizing control of the game, there was a sense of unnaturalness to the batting.
Apart from Shaw, who batted superbly for his half century, all the other batsmen looked out of their comfort zone while trying to dominate the bowling.
Vihari started the rot on the stroke of tea. The shot was unnecessary as he had already scored 33 from his previous 21 balls; India had added over 100 runs in a session. Wagner was always going to attempt another short ball.
Despite all these factors, Vihari went with his instinct and was out caught behind. Then, after tea, it was Pujara who fell for the bait as he attempted a pull shot only to skew it straight up. Rishabh Pant (12) followed soon and suddenly India's new brave approach was proving disastrous. Every time India had a grip of the game, an overzealous shot helped New Zealand to crawl back. Towards the end, India lost six wickets for 48 runs to be skittled for 242. The Black Caps were 63-0 at stumps. It was a disappointing effort given the bright beginning with a new approach.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
