IND vs NZ | Pitch’s tennis-ball bounce had a lot to offer for bowlers, reveals Tim Southee

The 15th five-wicket haul for Tim Southee wrapped up New Zealand’s 100th Test victory and India’s first loss in the ICC Test Championship. With a bowling friendly condition on Day one, it was only a matter of overs before New Zealand started getting into the Indian batting. The chief in India’s loss- Tim Southee, who not only set up batsmen beautifully but also led from the front as the leader of the pack, picking nine wickets in the Test. Southee admitted that the pitch’s tennis-ball bounce had a lot to offer for the home bowlers. 

“The pitch had a little bit more there than usual. Tennis-bally bounce,” he said when asked about the pitch, reported ESPNCricinfo. 

It was crucial that New Zealand got off to a good start in the two-match Test series after they failed to get to a winning one in the home series against England. On top of that, their performance in Australia did not help them by any bit, when India were still on the horizon of touring. However, knowing the conditions well was what separated the Kiwi bowlers to the Indian attack. Southee admitted that with less wind around, the ball tended to swing a bit more, and morning on Day four was massive for the outlook of the Test. 

“Very pleasing to beat India. Pleasant change coming back to home conditions. Today morning was massive. We were trying to get a couple of wickets before the new ball. A little less wind around, it tends to swing a bit more. The more you play, you get back into the rhythm. To take 20 wickets as a bowling unit was very pleasant,” he added.