IND vs NZ | Kyle Jamieson’s bowling alongside pitch was lethal combination, admits Mayank Agarwal

India’s toughest prospect was facing the 2m tall pacer, Kyle Jamieson. The Kiwi pacer’s height combined with the spongy nature of the pitch turned out to be a lethal combination in Wellington, where New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl. Mayank Agarwal, in the post-day press conference, revealed that facing the lanky pacer’s influence on this pitch was a lethal combination. 

“Well for him, he (Jamieson) was getting a lot of bounce since the wicket was soft, he got an extra kick as well. As a batsman, you have to put in efforts to counter it. I think it is a combination of the pitch and his bowling. With that height, in this pitch, in those areas, he was terrific,“ he said in the post-day press conference. 

As a bowling unit, however, Mayank was confident that the Indian pacers could hit the right line and length which would trouble the home side in the second innings. 

“It was not like just the full-length ball was doing something on the pitch. However, you as a batsman has to carefully attack the bowler. As a bowling unit, we have to be tight and consistent,” he added. 

The Indian opener also added that the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant would be crucial to India posting a good total at the end of the first innings. India finished the day on 122/5, with Pant and Rahane batting on 10 and 38 respectively after the slump from the top order. With Ravichandran Ashwin the next to bat, the onus is on the duo to add on to India's overnight total in helping to post a decent score at the end of Day 2. 

“To be honest, how much ever we can score we have to and Ajinkya Rahane is batting well alongside Rishabh Pant. Hopefully, we will get a good total at the end of the first innings.”