After struggling on the first day to put on a good batting display, India took the driver’s seat in the match by the end of the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at Eden Gardens. The Indian team was dismissed for 316 runs and then they reduced the visitors to 128 for 7.Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the destructor-in-chief as he dismissed five Kiwi batsmen in one of the finest bowling spells by an Indian pacer in India. Interacting with the media after the day’s play team India wicketkeeper spoke on Bhuvneshwar’s surprising selection, pitch and much more.
Excerpts:
On Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s selection:
We make our team as per the situation. Umesh (Yadav) played in the last match but we thought the wicket would be a bit more seaming-friendly so Bhuvi came into the team.
On the effect of light (the final session was played under lights) on play:
There was more movement under lights. Vision gets affected under lights. Bhuvi and (Mohammad) Shami bowled in the right areas. We want to get them all out as quickly as possible tomorrow morning.
On the new Eden Garden pitch:
Some balls stayed low while some had extra bounce and carry. Maybe in one or two matches I had seen such kind of wicket here. It’s a result-oriented wicket which is good for both the teams. Obviously, he’s (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) a very good bowler. We have a very good bench strength. He really bowled well. Also, credit should be given to (Ravindra) Jadeja, Shami and (Ravichandran) Ashwin. We will look to carry that forward.
On his partnerships with lower order batsmen that helped India to get closer to the 300-run mark:
Our plan in the team meeting was to extend our partnership and carry the innings forward to get past 300. It happened with Jadeja and Shami giving a fine contribution.We always plan to score runs – be it a top order or lower order. If the lower order batsmen can chip in with some runs it will give a good boost and will be helpful for the team.The wicket was seaming a bit. The idea was to convert them into boundaries and rotate strikes otherwise we would not have got past 250-260. It happened that way. We wanted to hit the loose balls.We have a good understanding with everyone. So we can convert, rotate strikes. Everyone in our team can play shots.
On his knock of 54:
Everyone has appreciated the knock. I did not get much time as I had to come back for keeping. But I’m happy that I could take it to a respectable total. I’m happy for the team.It was much-needed to take the team forward and take the score past 300. Rahane and Pujara also batted well. Everyone contributed well. All matches are equal for me. I would like to contribute in every match.