Ind vs NZ Kanpur Test | Terrific game, says Kane Williamson

Having denied India the victory it sniffed in the final session, Kane Williamson and his gallant men have reasons to be pleased with their show.

On the other hand, Ajinkya Rahane could point to the way India battled from 51 for five in the second innings and struck late to come so close to victory.

Good advertisement

Overall, the first Test here was a good advertisement for Test cricket, with 94 overs bowled on the final day before the last-wicket pair walked away unconquered.

“Terrific game overall,” was how Williamson saw it. His decision to strengthen the batting when picking the team for the first Test paid off. After all, the batting depth of this New Zealand side saved the day.

“It was also some fantastic experience for Rachin (Ravindra), Ajaz (Patel) and William (Somerville),” said the skipper about the spin trio that was chosen after considering their ability to bat well in these conditions.

“We know this Indian side is a very strong one. There are things to touch on. We have to prepare for a different kind of pitch in Mumbai,” said Williamson.

Rahane said, “Very good game of cricket. They played really well. We came back really well after the first session.”

Issue of light

Asked about the chat with the umpires at the end, he said, “It was about light. As a fielding team, you want to bowl more overs. As a batting unit, you don’t want to bat in that situation. The umpires made the call and I thought they were right.”

Ashwin said, “We were actually keeping things under control. We were bowling in good areas. We knew if we had the time to go on and put some pressure on them, we could get the job done. There has been bad light on every single day of this Test match so we did expect it. So no complaints.”