M. Vijay said he doesn’t want to talk about a potential outcome to the first Test here, but added that the pitch is still a good one.
“It’s a pretty good wicket, but it’s gone slower. There’s lot of assistance to the spinners now. Hopefully, we can put some pressure in the morning session and get a few wickets and then you never know. Our intention would be to take wickets rather than wait for what England will do. We have a very interesting game ahead,” said Vijay.
He acknowledged the effort of R. Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha after the exit of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli. “Their partnership was crucial. They have been doing this job for a while now; from the West Indies tour onwards. It was good to see Saha and Ashwin put up vital partnership; every time we have been in a tricky situation, they have got us out.”
Talking of the England spinners he said: “They are pretty good bowlers, that’s why they are in the team. Obviously, we have got to give them due respect. At the same time we have to be confident in our skill sets and execute that at a level where we are comfortable, not allowing them to settle in their line and length. That was the key for us. Myself and Pujara were trying to execute that while batting.”
England leg-spinner Adil Rashid feels there is a possibility of all three results to the Test: an England win, India win and a draw.
“I think all three are possible. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played. First we got to come out, get the runs on the board and see what position we are at lunch time. If we are in a good position, we might just give it a bowl and see what happens.”
Taking his second consecutive four-wicket haul in six Test matches, Rashid said: “Obviously, the more you play, the more you are comfortable. I’ve been working more on setting fields, the kind of game-plans to get batsmen out in these conditions. Obviously, the pace is the key, the pace which I’m comfortable at and the pace where I can spin the ball, is the most crucial [thing]. What’s important is trying to find out the pace that spins the most and gives the batsmen trouble. Sometimes it can be slower, quicker depending on the wicket and the player. I’m just doing that.”
Rashid also talked about the Virat Kohli wicket. “Probably, when Jonny Bairstow first pointed at the stumps, we all looked and Virat was in a bit of shock that he stood on his wicket. It’s a good feeling for us. That was my first hit-wicket scalp.”
