India’s pace bowler, Shardul Thakur, in a recent interaction with the media, highlighted the importance of taking the wicket of New Zealand’s most successful ODI batsman Ross Taylor.
After failing to finish the job for his side twice during the T20I series, Taylor took the defeats to heart and came up with a couple of match-winning knocks in the ODI series.
The most successful number four batsman in the world currently, scored an unbeaten 107 in the Hamilton ODI and scored a priceless 73* to post an above par score in front of the Indians.
New Zealand chased down a mammoth total of 348 in the first ODI with the help of Taylor’s ton. In the second ODI, Taylor’s knock helped Kiwis seal the series after being precariously placed at 197-8.
Albeit, the likes of skipper Tom Latham and debutant Kylie Jamieson provided able support to their most experienced campaigner, during both his knocks.
“Ross is batting really well. He can play like God on the legside once he is in. In the last two ODIs, there were chances of us dismissing him, but we did not grab our chances.,” Shardul Thakur told reporters on Monday.
“It is important to send him back early in the innings. The opening partnership has been crucial for them. They are getting off to a good start and it has reaped the rewards for them,” continued the Mumbai cricketer.
Thakur also stated that playing in New Zealand is a challenging prospect, looking at the ground dimensions, angles, and shorter boundaries.
“The dimensions here are quite different. It is important to understand them when you come to New Zealand. Every ground has a shorter boundary on one side, and bowling plans change according to them. It is difficult to play cricket here because of the ground dimensions,” concluded the 28-year old.
