Despite coming on top of the see-saw battle at Bangalore, India skipper MS Dhoni wasn't exactly happy with the wicket, or for that matter the one at Hyderabad where the Kiwis found themselves in a spin.
"One definite area where we would like ourselves is playing on tracks that turn. That's something we didn't get in the series," Dhoni said after helping wrap up victory.
By saying this, he seems to set an agenda for the biggest contests that lie ahead, against England and Australia, and the kind of wickets he would like to pin down the rivals. After all, India were thumped 0-4 by both sides on seamer-friendly tracks.
Former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar saw nothing wrong with Dhoni's demand. "He is a shrewd captain. He knows his strength, which is spin, so, why not? He is justified in asking for such tracks."
It should be noted that spinners took 31 of the 40 wickets in this short series and a couple of Kiwi players contradicted Dhoni saying that the Hyderabad pitch did afford a lot of turn. Bangalore helped seamers and Tim Southee grabbed seven-wickets in the first innings, but R Ashwin was also delighted that the pitch afforded bounce and made him more effective. However, Dhoni's comments have left one important lot unhappy - the curators.
"The wicket, especially the one in Bangalore, was praised by everyone. He (Dhoni) is probably asking for a rank turner, and we can't give it," said a senior curator, according to the HT report.
Meanwhile in an interview to Indian Express, Cheteshwar Pujara said that the New Zealand series was very important because there was a lot of expectation around him. “I also had to prove to myself that I belonged at this level. I did taste brief success before getting injured. But the 18-month gap between my third and fourth Tests was enormous. I am really glad to have scored my maiden Test ton on my return,” said Pujara, adding that he was not overly nervous.
“I knew after the tour to the West Indies with the India A team that I will get my chance soon. The way I batted in the Caribbean was an encouraging sign. So there was not much to be worried about. I had also made sure to get some match practice prior to the NZ series by playing one game for Saurashtra in the Buchi Babu Trophy.”
Meanwhile Deccan Herald writes that in the build-up to the series against New Zealand, none were under more focus than Cheteshwar Pujara and Suresh Raina. They had walked into the team after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, and it was quite natural that there were concerns about their ability to withstand the rigours of Test cricket.
Fortunately, they gave enough positive signals at various stages of the series over the last fortnight. Pujara made a hundred at Hyderabad in the first Test, while Raina showed he can absorb a pressure situation with a fifty at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in the second Test. Between the two, Pujara will come under harsher scurtiny simply because he has replaced a modern day great -- Dravid. For the rest of his career as India no 3, Pujara will have to live -- though totally unjustifiably -- in the giant shadow of Dravid, and he will inevitably be compared with the virtuoso.
