Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were beginning to chip away at New Zealand after it fortified itself to 152 for 1 on Friday. But the rain had halted India’s momentum, reducing 34 overs of play.
>Report: Vijay, Pujara stretch lead after Jadeja, Ashwin heroics
On Day Three, Ashwin broke through, snaring Tom Latham leg before wicket. The deluge began. New Zealand lost eight wickets for 100 runs with Jadeja picking five of them. He scalped three in an over that probably made up for the time lost in Friday’s rain. He spoke to the media after a successful outing on Saturday.
Excerpts:
On the first session: We knew that it was Kane [Williamson] who could really bat for long in their line up. The plan was to get him out. We know others can’t bat for long hours. We got four wickets in the morning session and that changed the scenario.
On tips from Anil Kumble: He asked me to bowl in the rough areas and look for angles and bowl from wide of the crease. There were a lot of foot marks around the off-stump area. He told me that those marks will have a bearing on the minds of the batsmen.
On sustaining bowling rhythm from Day Two: There is not much that we changed. We knew we had to get a wicket, and two or three of them could fall immediately after that. They were trying to play shots and we knew they will make mistakes. We bowled from outside off stump, built pressure and executed our plans well.
On knowing the pitch well: I have been playing on these pitches for the last so many years. Since my Under-14, Under 16, Under-19 days, I have played on similar pitches and similar conditions. We have also played on underprepared pitches, so that gives us experience.
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