You want Indian spinners to feel the pinch, because when they come back they come back harder – Dinesh Karthik

Indian Cricket and Dinesh Karthik. (Source – Twitter/X)

India opted to play with three spinners and two pacers in the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru but the move did not pay dividends as the tourists won by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After getting dismissed for 46 in overcast conditions in the first innings, India conceded 402 runs against the tourists. India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up a solitary wicket and conceded runs at an economy rate of 5.90. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, who replaced the in-form Akash Deep bagged three wickets at an economy rate of 5.40. Ravindra Jadeja was decent in comparison to his fellow spinners as he took three wickets at 3.60 runs per over.

India produced a much better effort with the bat in the second innings but they could only set a target of 107 for the visitors to chase down. New Zealand chased the target with eight wickets. The two wickets fell to Jasprit Bumrah. The three spinners bowled 12.4 overs and conceded 60 runs.

Dinesh Karthik admitted that it wasn’t a memorable Test match for the Indian spin trio but he backed them to bounce back strongly in the second Test. The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune is going to host the encounter. The former India wicketkeeper feels that the spinners will get more help from the surface in Pune.

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“I wouldn’t think too much into the Indian Spinners, they didn’t have their best Test as a unit. Be it Jadeja, be it Kuldeep, and Ashwin for sure. This is good because you want these players to feel the pinch because when they come back they come back harder. I believe the conditions will suit them a lot more in Pune, and you will see Ashwin and Jadeja having a good game,” Karthik said in a conversation with Cricbuzz.

What happened the last time a Test match was held in Pune?

The last Test match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune was held in 2019 between India and South Africa. On the back of Virat Kohli’s highest Test score, 254*, India declared on 601/5. In their first innings, the Proteas were dismissed for 275 as Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav bagged four and three wickets, respectively.

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India enforced the follow-on and South Africa were bowled out for 189. The home side won by an innings and 137 runs after Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh picked up three wickets each. Ashwin also chipped in with a couple of wickets.