INDIA VS NEW ZEALAND, 1ST TEST, VENUE: GREEN PARK, KANPUR, INDIA WON BY 197 RUNS.

It was a total one sided game here in Kanpur where the New Zealand lost the match by 197 runs, the Indian spin department was on the heavier side not allowing any of the batsmen to settle down and pick up some huge score for the team. 

With Ashwin taking 10 wicket in the match and Jadeja also blowing off 6 wickets for Kiwis, with this India got a lead of 1-0 in the test and this will definitely boost the confidence level of the players and of course of the skipper Virat Kohli. 

This is was the captains said in the presentation ceremony:

Kohli: “The boys applied themselves really well. We were in a spot of bother at times. Initially we had the momentum with the bat, but a couple of soft dismissals put pressure. Jadeja and Ashwin added crucial runs to dig us out. Those 30-40 extra runs make a psychological difference. I am still pretty early in my captaincy career, I look for advice from people around me. There have been cases where we’ve gone on one mode and the runs were leaked. One learning that we are taking forward is when wickets aren’t coming, we need to be patient. All the sides that are doing well around the world have strong lower-middle orders. The tailenders also contribute. That’s one area that we have improved and we need to keep working on because those 30-40 extra runs could prove crucial. It’s been a very good Test match. When New Zealand were batting well on Day 2, me and Ashwin had a chat about this Test match being an exciting game. We needed to play at our best to win. Credit goes to New Zealand as well. The reason why this game went to the second session on the fifth day was because of the character they showed.”

Williamson: “The boys were positive throughout the match, but credit to India. They outplayed us with bat and ball. It was a two session period that the game slipped away from us. Restricting India to 300 odd on a good batting surface was a very good effort, but at the end of the day India were certainly the better team. The way Santner applied himself with both bat and ball was impressive and the way Luke Ronchi came back into the side and played with freedom was good to watch. It’s important that the boys recover nicely and we look forward to another challenge in Kolkata.”

Ravindra Jadeja was awarded the man of the match for his brilliant 50* and also talking a five wicket haul.

 
Jadeja: “I am very happy. Before the series started I was thinking that I need play my role as a batsman as well. I was preparing myself as a batsman. Duleep Trophy helped me a lot because I was getting wickets there as well. It gave me confidence as well. I was enjoying my bowling. The ball wasn’t turning from the stump line in the first innings, so we were trying to mix the pace. Obviously Ashwin is a very good bowler on slow turning wickets and I would like to congratulate him for 200 wickets. Whenever the wickets wasn’t falling, we would discuss strategies. In the first innings when Williamson and Latham were batting, we discussed about the pace to bowl, the angles to bowl. I enjoy bowling with him.”