IND vs NZ: New Zealand batting coach Ronchi says he expected Pune pitch to turn more on Day 1
As New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, it wasn’t quite an easy outing for the batters as they had to face some tricky situations.
Published : Oct 24, 2024 21:14 IST , PUNE - 2 MINS READ
Washington Sundar being greeted after taking the wicket of Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand. | Photo Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU
New Zealand’s batting coach Luke Ronchi admitted that the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium surface did surprise his team as it did not turn as much as they thought it would on the opening day of the second Test against India.
“Both teams could quite easily say at the start of the day, they thought this wicket would turn more than it has so far, but again, it’s just about tomorrow for us, build pressure, bowl in some good areas and get that ball (off) variable bounce,” Ronchi said after the day’s play.
As New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, it wasn’t quite an easy outing for the batters as they had to face some tricky situations.
“We saw some balls today really jumped off a length and then some stayed a little bit, they just skidded through a little bit, it’s going to be a surface where maybe as the game goes on you’re not going to feel like you’re actually in,” Ronchi added.
Despite Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra scoring fifty-plus runs, New Zealand fell well short of the 300-run mark as Washington Sundar claimed seven wickets, while the other three were picked by Ravichandran Ashwin. Ronchi, a former international cricketer himself, lauded Washington for holding his nerves in his comeback Test.
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“It was just this consistency of being able to hit a good area for long periods of time. There were some balls that went really wide in the crease,” he said.
“He got some good drift and the ball that got Rachin (out) was from really wide and straight and hit (the off-stump). That’s a really nice ball to bowl for anyone…”
With four days remaining and lots to play for, New Zealand will look to replicate the approach of the Indian spinners and bounce back in the game in a bid to clinch an elusive Test series win in India.