At a loss to explain India’s poor batting in the ongoing first Test, opener Murali Vijay on Friday said more than the pitch, it is the new ball which is hurting willow-wielders on both sides.
Vijay felt the new ball is affecting batsmen in both the teams equally. “If you see both the innings so far, the new ball did the trick for bowlers in both teams. More than the pitch or conditions, it is the new ball. Initially it tends to swing a bit more and once it gets older, it becomes much easier to bat. That is what is happening in the middle. Hopefully, Rohit (Sharma) and Ajinkya (Rahane) can build a big partnership,” said Vijay. “The New Zealand bowlers were obviously swinging the ball. But we could have played much better. Maybe in the next innings, we can do that,” he said.
Vijay felt the new ball is affecting both teams equally. “If you see both the innings so far, the new ball did the trick for bowlers in both teams. More than the pitch or conditions, it is the new ball. Initially it tends to swing a bit more and once it gets older, it becomes much easier to bat. That is what is happening in the middle. Hopefully, Rohit (Sharma) and Ajinkya (Rahane) can build a big partnership,” said Vijay.
“The New Zealand bowlers were obviously swinging the ball. But we could have played much better. Maybe in the next innings, we can do that,” he said. When asked particularly about the delivery that got him out, Vijay replied, “I just need to get it off my system. I think I batted well, I was feeling good inside. I just wanted to have a partnership with Rohit. That was the plan. But it couldn’t go my way. The pitch is still very good for batting. So I am hoping we can go close to their score and put pressure on them,” he added.
Murali was all-praise for Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullumm. “When someone bats like that, you cannot do much as a bowler. Brendon batted brilliantly for them. I thought there were times when he could get out, but he just carried on and got a biggie. You have to admire it even more then, because the way he plays his shots and the confidence he has in himself, it is a great thing to watch. We did bowl well, according to our plans, but he batted brilliantly,” Vijay signed off.