Indians left frustrated by New Zealand’s tactic
Jan 6, 2019 at 3:51 AM
The second day of the Kanpur Test witnessed an early close of play as rain played spoilsport and that led to the third session being called off without a ball being bowled. In order to compensate for the lost time, 98 overs are expected to be bowled on the third day of the match, which will begin 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled start. By the end of the second day, it can be said that the visitors have an upper hand as the pair of Tom Latham and Kane Williamson was defiant against the Indian bowlers.
However, the hosts aren’t too pleased with the tactics of the pair. In the post day conference, Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar admitted that New Zealand’s ploy of taking unscheduled breaks frustrated India. The Kiwi batsmen took rest breaks on quite a few occasions and that could have potentially disrupted the rhythm of the Indian bowlers. According to Bangar, this could be a well thought out plan.
“That may have been a strategy, and that is something we have spoken of,” Bangar said. “We need to make sure that we are getting a lot of overs and that is something that the umpires are aware of that no matter how hot and humid the conditions are, you still have to make sure that the continuity of the game is not hampered.”Not to read too much into it, but there are certain areas wherein every individual looks to score and advantage over the opposition. Even we do that at some point in time. That is something we need to be aware of, but ultimately it is the spirit of the game that needs to be kept intact.”
“That is something the umpires have been aware of. It is something the on-field umpires and the match referee are aware of. Obviously, they will make sure that certain corrective measures will be taken in the days to come,” Bangar said about the incident.
Bangar added that the rain delay further annoyed the Indians as the spinners had just found their rhythm. “It was starting to turn a bit, and the bowlers were getting into a good rhythm,” Bangar said. “I think the break of rain and the intermittent breaks in between definitely hampered the bowlers’ rhythm. That is something that we need to be aware of. And if somebody has come out with a ploy we need to negotiate that as well.”