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BENGALURU: It took 163 minutes on Day 2 of India’s opening Test against New Zealand to change the course of the contest here. New Zealand needed 189 deliveries to dismiss the hosts for 46 in their first innings. That according to skipper Rohit Sharma, was the lowest point during his team’s eight-wicket loss to the visiting side.
“Except for that first three hours, I thought we played very good Test cricket.In the second innings, to come out and play like that, it felt like we were ahead in the game at one stage. We didn’t feel like we were 350 behind and that is something that I am proud of. When the guys are showing that kind of attitude on the field with the bat, it shows that the mindset is clear and they want to go out there and play with freedom,” said Rohit on Sunday.
Highlighting his men’s positive mindset, the opener said, “Whatever the situation is, unless you have belief, you are not going to achieve it. That is the mindset, talk and approach of this team. This team is not going to give it up so easily. We are going to keep fighting till it is over.”
Defending a paltry lead of 106 runs was always daunting, but India, given their bowling attack, did fancy their chances. “To get them to chase that 100-odd runs also was a great effort, after being 350 behind. When you are chasing a small total like that, you know on a pitch where so much cricket has been played, there is a lot of wear and tear in the pitch, anything is possible. And we have quality in our bowling line-up.
We came with the belief of trying to pull the results towards us. But it didn’t happen,” Rohit stated.
While India, with a batting wealth to choose from, Rohit said, the message to the players is clear-seize the opportunity and make the most of it. “It’s always nice to have these (Sarfaraz Khan) kind of players waiting to play the game. It was unfortunate that Shubman missed this game. Sarfaraz took that opportunity, and got a big 100.”
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