After witnessing a day which ended in high scores being made on Day 2 of the 1st test between India and New Zealand, Kuldeep Yadav shared his disappointment with the conditions of the pitch. Kuldeep said that the pitch did not offer turn and the structure of the ground did not help in the bowling at all. A total of 453 runs were scored on Day 3.
“It was difficult to control runs on this wicket. Even the good deliveries were being hit. There wasn’t much turn off the pitch. Maybe because it was damp yesterday, today it had become hard. This ground also has a history. It is a small ground, and runs are easily scored here,” Kuldeep said in the post-day press conference.
After a destructive first inning where India got bowled out for just 46 runs, New Zealand further extended their lead with an important 137-run partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee. Rachin was particularly the one to trouble the Indian spinners, especially R. Ashwin. Though Kuldeep recognised Ashwin’s power, he also stated Southee to have some high luck during his innings.
“He [Rachin Ravindra] batted very well. I missed his wicket twice. He is a good player. He has improved in the last two years as a player. He batted with good technique. He was comfortable against the spinners. I hope he doesn’t play like this in the upcoming matches,” Kuldeep stated.
“Tim Southee was lucky many times,” he added.
