IND vs NZ | Nice to see Virat Kohli make errors, says Trent Boult
New Zealand’s Trent Boult said on Sunday that it was satisfying to force a world-class batsman like Virat Kohli to make errors after drying up his scoring options. Despite conceding a slender first-innings lead, the Kiwis took control of the second Test by reducing India to 90 for six at stumps.
Boult led the way with figures of three for 12 as India conceded their initiative from the first innings to end the second day at 97 for six wickets effectively. For any team in pursuit of success against India, one of the keys is to keep the dangerous Kohli quiet throughout the Test series. And as the India skipper walked back for just 14 in the second innings in Christchurch, the Kiwis had managed just that. Kohli will return with all of 38 across the four completed innings, an average of 9.50.
"He (Kohli) is one of the best players in the world, no doubt about that. Obviously, he is a big player for them and we just tried to put enough pressure on him, keep him quiet and soak up those boundary balls, and it was nice to see him make a few errors. We were lucky to get two that lined up and hit him on the pads nicely and it was a good feeling to see the back of him," Boult told PTI.
The senior pacer sympathized with the Indian batting line-up and their collective woes against the moving ball.Â
"Probably, they are used to playing on low and slow pitches in India and it took time for them to get adjusted. Just like if I bowl in India, it will be foreign conditions for me," he said.
All of 16 wickets fell on day two — which is usually labelled the best day for batting in Tests. As for the 30-year-old, he is happy that the entire bowling department was contributing towards a possible clean sweep of the No.1-ranked Test side.
"Sixteen wickets, I am not sure if that's up there with a record in Test cricket in terms of day two but the bowlers obviously pitched the ball up nicely and got rewards. Seeing the ball move around like it did, I feel we are in a decent position. We are all enjoying hunting out there as a pack, getting the ball to move around. I think the bowling unit is very clear about how they are trying to target the opposition,” Boult added.
