Modern Indian players playing spin better than anyone else is a misconception: Simon Doull. (Source – Getty Images)
The first half of Day 2 of the second Test between India and New Zealand belonged to the latter in its entirety as the hosts saw themselves incapable of dealing with the spin blitz of the Kiwis, and in particular, Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner was too hot to handle as he registered career-best figures of 7/53 in 19.3 overs at the MCA Stadium, Pune.
The dramatic collapse of the Indian team prompted former New Zealand cricketer, Simon Doull, to bust a prevailing myth in relation to Indian batters tackling spin. To support his argument, the commentator compared former greats such as Sachin Tendulkar in a bid to draw a stark juxtaposition between the past and the present era of batters.
“I think it is a misconception around the world now that these modern Indian players are better playing spin than anyone else. They are not. They are the same as everyone else around the world. Gone are the days of Ganguly, Gambhir, Laxman, and Dravid. Sachin was so, so good against spin, and the era before them. I think good quality spinners are just as good as getting India out on turning tracks as Indian spinners against good quality opposition batters. And the moment they see a turning track in the IPL, they complain,” stated Doull on JioCinema during Lunch break on the second day.
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BlackCaps kick off the second innings with a surge of optimism
The Kiwis dismissed the three other batters within eight overs of Lunch. India’s top-scorer Ravindra Jadeja, Akash Deep, and Jasprit Bumrah were the batters to be dismissed, with India folding out in no time.
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Skipper Tom Latham and Devon Conway were off the blocks in a jiffy in comparison to the Indians, who were looking to survive during the major section of their innings. Despite the top-scorer of the Kiwis’ first innings getting dismissed by Sundar, there seem to be little to no issues with Will Young and Latham as they continue to elongate their lead.