Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel believes New Zealand’s spinner Glenn Phillips could trouble India on the second day of the second Test match at Pune. With all 10 wickets falling to off-spinners on the opening day, Phillips will come into play.
Phillips has been a partnership breaker and also got the big wicket of Virat Kohli on the last ball of the third day’s play in the opening Test. The off-spinner has picked 23 wickets in 11 Test matches at an average of 26.48.
Barring Phillips, New Zealand has full-time spinners in Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner whereas Rachin Ravindra can also roll over his arm.
“Traditionally off-spinners have troubled India on turning wickets. Whether it is Nathan Lyon or Moeen Ali, whichever off-spinner has come has troubled India. Of course, the left-arm spinners will trouble but Glenn Phillips is a bowler who could trouble,” Parthiv Patel said on Colors Cineplex.
“He also dismissed Virat Kohli on the last ball. We have seen quite often that the incoming balls get the inside edge, especially for the right-handed batters. So it’s not that only the left-arm spinners will be the threat, the sort of pitch it is, you will have to think and play the off-spinner as to how the ball is going,” Patel added.
After India skittled out New Zealand at 259 despite losing the toss, Patel reckons it was a day that belonged to the hosts. Washington Sundar did the bulk of the damage, returning with career-best figures of 7-59.
“It has gone in India’s favor to a great extent. When you lose the toss and bowl first, you think you should get to bat in the evening. Although a wicket has fallen for sure, that is your thought process and India were successful in that as well as they got New Zealand all out for 259. New Zealand started well, the way they played the new ball,” he said.
The former Gujarat captain also showered praise on veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for providing the first three breakthroughs and said Sundar vindicated his selection after picking seven scalps.
“However, as soon as Ravichandran Ashwin came, he started picking up wickets. We were thinking that if New Zealand scored 350-375, India would be on the back foot. However, Washington Sundar came, everyone had questioned his selection, as to how correct it was to play him ahead of Kuldeep, but when you take seven wickets, you get the answer that the selection was right,” Parthiv Patel added.
India were 16-1 at stumps on the opening day, trailing by 243 runs.
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