Legendary Pakistan player Inzamam-ul-Haq expressed disappointment over the final result of the 1st Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur, citing that he was shocked to see that “this Indian bowling line-up” allowed the opposition to bat through Day 5.
Meanwhile, he isn’t the only expert/former cricketer to feel this as many believed India could have won the game. However, Team India had to claim 9 New Zealand wickets on a Day 5 but the pitch didn’t support it as the Kiwis batters were exceptional in their defence as well.
And, Inzamam-ul-Haq failed to understand how the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel (who had a fifer in the first innings), could not pick up the final wicket as well. While speaking on his YouTube channel, the veteran has said that he is not sure which side to call lucky and unlucky.
Not sure whether we should give credit to New Zealand or call India unlucky-Inzamam-Ul-Haq
“Not sure whether we should give credit to New Zealand or call India unlucky. It was clear even yesterday that New Zealand cannot win the match because they wouldn’t have been able to chase down the score (of 284). I feel New Zealand should be given credit for batting through the day on this pitch. I was, however, anticipating that there would be some wear and tear on the fifth day and that the likes of [Ravindra] Jadeja and [Axar] Patel would not let the batsmen play because the ball would spin,” he said.
“New Zealand should be commended because apart from [Kane] Williamson, they do not have a star batter in their ranks. But they all put their hands up and put in a combined effort. It’s not that one person made a big score and continued to hold one end. Whoever came out to bat performed their duty very ably. They would have been told in the dressing room that they need to spend a lot of time in the middle and not chase after the total,” further added Inzamam-ul-Haq.
The former captain also opened up on the Team India bowlers, saying that he “expected a lot from them”.
“On the other hand, this is a disappointment for India. I didn’t think New Zealand would have bat through Day 5 against this Indian bowling attack. India should have bowled them out. Jadeja bowled well for his four wickets but I expected a lot more from all of them. I truly believe that the match should have finished within the first two sessions,” conlcuded Inzamam.
The second Test will take place in Mumbai, starting from December 3.
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