New Delhi: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar slammed New Zealand for their timid batting in the second innings of the first Test at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Despite Tom Latham and William Somerville setting a formidable stage for his team in the second innings, Gavaskar said the visitors were not playing for a win; They just managed to stay on the draw. India With just one wicket away from victory, New Zealand batsmen Rachin Ravindra and Ejaz Patel played more than 50 deliveries to help the Kiwis secure a Test draw.
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“New Zealand managed to hold onto the skin of their teeth in Kanpur. His timid batting after a stellar first session on the final day brought India back into the game, and once he started taking wickets in the second session, he put on more pressure as he realized the visitors could only survive. Were looking forward and not looking for a win,” Gavaskar wrote for TOI.
Gavaskar believes New Zealand completely dropped the shutter and this gave Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane an opportunity to attack.
“At lunch, Rahane and Dravid would have been a touch worried, as Latham and Somerville had set up a perfect platform for the following batsmen to play their normal game and take New Zealand home. Then, inexplicably, the shutter was pulled down, and all it did was allow Rahane to put the men in a position to capture,” Gavaskar said.
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Gavaskar, 72, concluded by saying that the draw will make a difference in the start of the Test series as a place in the final of the second round of the World Test Championship (WTC) is at stake.
“The place in the World Test Championship final is at stake for these two finalists, and so sharing the points will definitely make a difference as the series progresses,” he added.
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