Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Sep 3: Welcome to day 4 of this fascinating Test match between India and New Zealand from Bangalore. New Zealand have a 244 run lead and they will look to get their lead past 250. India will have to bat sensibly on a wicket that is favouring the bowlers.

The latest update is that Kruger van Wyk has suffered a bruised left arm and he will not take the field today. In fact, he is out for the rest of the tour. Brendon McCullum will keep wickets today.

Day 3 :

India have the edge at the end of the day. It was a day that had a lot of wickets in it, 14 to be precise. After getting bowled out, India did well to come back with the ball and really made New Zealand toil hard for their runs. Not a single Kiwi batsman was able to register a score of 50 or more and that resulted in New Zealand ending the day with the loss of 9 wickets.

The spinners did the trick again for Dhoni and Umesh Yadav assisted the bowlers well with his pace and bounce. India will want to come out tomorrow and pick up that last wicket quite quickly. New Zealand on the other hand can be hopeful of still trying to defend this total, considering the amount the ball has started to turn and the variable bounce on offer.

I like playing in pressure situations - Kohli

Various attributes of Virat Kohli like his composure, maturity and positive outlook have been well documented since his arrival at the international cricket. Now, we can add one more quality to that ever-swelling list – adaptability.

Kohli and Suresh Raina joined forces on Saturday when India were at a wobbly 80 for four during the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, and for a man who’s playing only his 10th Test, Kohli showed amazing adjustment – mentally and technically.

The 93 that he converted into his second Test hundred on Sunday morning was the epitome of his ability to adapt.

The first hundred in Adelaide in January early this year came when he had nothing to lose, and India too were on the brink of a defeat. And this is not to diminish the importance of that debut hundred, a defining innings indeed it was, and also one that instilled tons of belief in his mind.

But here, the case was different from Adelaide. India were struggling against a persistent Kiwi attack, and a flop show would have allowed them an early peek at India’s tail, and there was a lot of expectations on Kohli to deliver after his wonderful run in ODIs throughout this year, notching up a clutch of hundreds.

Kohli, however, batted as if India have a mountain of a total on the board, his face or movements never for once deceived his nerves. So does he relish pressure situations?

“I like playing in pressure situations. There, the bowler attacks you more and you have more opportunity to score runs. And even the situation I went in to bat, it was really important for the team to come out of that. I’m fortunate that I could be that guy for the team,” Kohli said.

What makes his progress in Test cricket all the more remarkable is the fact that he bats at number three in ODIs, a position that demands a different mindset.

In Tests, he comes at number five, and often he needs to pad up and wait for his turn for a longer period than in the limited over version.

“The mindset that you need is very different if you’re batting in the top 3. The top 3 you know that you’re ready to go in. But being in the middle order is a bit different. You might be in at the 10th over or you might come in at 200 for 3.

“Being padded up, you need to concentrate for long hours before going in to bat. It could be a tricky situation but I’ll learn along the way as how to manage my time off the field when there’s a partnership going on.”

Now, let’s hear how much he adapted technically.

“In the first Test I thought I played too many attacking shots. It was bit difficult to adapt there because we were playing a Test match after some seven months, and we didn’t have any practice game as well. Also in Hyderabad, my bat went instinctively for some shots, but it wasn’t my intention to play the ball.

“So, I worked on it for this game. I thought that they will bowl in the areas that I have got out before. So, like I did in Australia, I let the bowler come to me. I thought I’ll leave the ball more and defend more. That worked in my favour here.”

Carter all praise for Southee

A calculated bowling effort from Tim Southee helped the New Zealand paceman finish with seven wickets against the Indians on day three of the second Test between the sides at the M Chinnaswamy.

The pacer, who had scalped three wickets on Saturday, ended the dangerous partnership between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni by claiming both the right-handers on the day before bagging Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha to help Kiwis restrict the Indians to 353.

“I really thought it was a wonderful performance,” said New Zealand’s assistant coach Bob Carter. “After being selected for the Tests, he has really returned the faith of the selectors. I think he bowled very well, especially to the overnight batsmen this morning. To get Kohli, who was on a hundred, the way he did was an outstanding piece of bowling. Seven wickets in India is not just something that he would remember, it’s something even we won’t forget."

The pitch has remained an enigma of sorts throughout the Test as the bowlers and the batsmen have consistently found it hard to decipher.

“If you hit the pitch hard, you can get the ball to carry. When Southee was bowling, he got some balls to lift and carry while some balls kept low.

“So we are hoping that as the Test match progresses the pitch deteriorates as a normal wicket would,” added Carter.