“We have to bat well to put ourselves in a position of strength and go on to win this Test,” Harbhajan Singh said at the end of the second day's play here on Saturday.
“It was great to see Zaheer bowl at his best which he has been doing for the last two years. Really exceptional bowling, especially in Indian conditions where even bowlers from abroad struggled,” the off-spinner said.
“We were off to a very good start. Once we take a significant lead, we hope to let the ball do the talking. This wicket is a really good Test wicket,” he said.
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“I am really satisfied with my bowling today. I cannot say how and why it happened with regard to Jesse Ryder's dismissal. But, it was a key wicket for us.
“We are not asking for spinning tracks. We are only looking for good sporting wickets. You ask the question to the people concerned and not me why we had to play on comparatively flatter wickets,” was Harbhajan's reaction on why India doesn't prepare pitches which suit its strength — spin.
“I think the best track I played on for a long, long time was the CCI wicket in Mumbai and the last time I played on a turner was at Kanpur a couple of years ago,” he said.
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New Zealand middle-order batsman Jesse Ryder said his team fell short by at least 100 runs. “We lost too many wickets in the morning session to be on the backfoot,” he said. “We hope to come back into the match and it is not all over for us.”
Ryder, who scored 70, added he was pleased the way he had handled Zaheer in the morning.