Team India is in a tricky situation at the moment after losing the opening encounter against New Zealand in the 1st ODI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and need to win the next two matches to seal the series.
Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun addressed the press conference ahead of the encounter at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground in Pune and spoke on India’s two wrist spinners, their chances in the series and much more. He has been highly impressed with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and heaped praises on them. He stated the fact that one-off match won’t be a huge issue, as they have done well consistently in their brief careers.
However, he added that they would only reach the combination for the 2019 World Cup after giving these two young guns a long run.
He also stated that it is very important to manage the workload of the bowlers so they need a pool of bowlers from where they can choose from which will keep all the bowlers fresh for all three formats of the game. Arun expected a batting paradise in Pune but conceded the fact that he hasn’t seen the wicket yet, as he directly came to the press conference.
It is relatively a rare scene to see India needing a must-win encounter to remain alive in the series especially in their home conditions, but Arun stated that this is the time when the character of the team will be on display and will test them. Despite trailing, India remains the favourites to seal the series given their terrific runoff late.
He also praised the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah who has been the preferred pace duo in the shorter formats of the game and the duo hasn’t disappointed. They have slowly and steadily risen to two of the best new ball bowlers in limited-overs cricket. He also added the players themselves knows when to practice and when to skip to manage their workload. With the amount of emphasis given to fitness now, it is a common sight in these days.
When asked that who all were not present for the practice, Arun smiled and said they had rested the fast bowlers and captain Virat Kohli skipped practice.
India will play New Zealand in the do or die encounter at Pune on Wednesday. With history at stakes, New Zealand would like to seal the series while the hosts will look to put up a dominating show and level the series.
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