On a wicket where the Indian bowlers failed to get a breakthrough in the 57 overs played, Southee broke into India’s batting with ease. He swung both the new and old ball to trouble the Indian batters and give New Zealand a stronghold in the Test match.
The veteran, who is on his third tour of India, cited rigorous training with old balls and the appetite to succeed as a recipe for his stellar run on subcontinent wickets. Addressing the press at the end of play on Day 2, Tim Southee said:
The New Zealand paceman added:
Tim Southee, who picked up his 13th five-wicket haul in 80 Test matches, has two fifers in India and boasts the best bowling average by an away pacer since 2016.
The 32-year-old pacer also overcame a groin injury overnight to deliver a superb spell in the Kanpur Test. Southee stressed that doing the right thing over a period of time is the main reason behind the significant improvement in his average.
Tim Southee broke a 121-run stand between Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer in the first session of Day 2. He breached Jadeja’s defense before dismissing centurion Iyer, Axar Patel and Wriddhiman Saha to finish with figures of 5/69.
“Asked to bowl first, it was a pretty solid performance” - Tim Southee on New Zealand’s first innings display
Southee and Kyle Jamieson shared eight wickets while Ajaz Patel dismissed two batsmen to dismiss India for 345 runs. A strong display from Tom Latham (50*) and Will Young (75*) then put New Zealand in control of the Test.
Southee said:
He went on to add:
Despite a strong display from the pacers, Tim Southee is confident the spinners will play a decisive role later on in the Test match.
New Zealand will hope to post a daunting first innings total and secure a crucial lead to put India on the backfoot in the ongoing Test.
0 votes
