Virat Kohli led Team India have registered a convincing win over New Zealand by 372 runs, bowling them out for 167. While Mayank Agarwal smashed a stunning 150 in the first innings, he scored another steady 67 runs in the second as well.
Along with his stunning knocks, bowlers too stepped up in both innings as they bowled out New Zealand out for 62 runs in the first innings. Although Ajaz Patel bagged 10 wickets in the match, the host’s overall performance helped them register the victory by a massive margin as well.
India’s biggest win in terms of margin of runs against New Zealand#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/9c6CO2zREJ
— CricFit (@CricFit) December 6, 2021
After the win, Virat Kohli, the India captain said: “To come back with a win again, it’s a great feeling and a clinical performance. You want individuals to step up. The first Test was good, and it was a clinical performance here. We discussed the performance and the opposition played out a good draw. The bowlers tried all their best, but the Kiwi batsmen stuck it out really well in Kanpur. Here there was more bounce and the fast bowlers got assistance as well, so it gave us a better chance to win the Test match.”
He continued:
“The mindset is the same to take Indian cricket forward, even with the new management. It’s important to keep the standards of Indian cricket and make sure it’s always growing. South Africa is a good challenge. We built it up in England and South Africa last time, and Australia was an accumulation of all that experience. South Africa is a tough challenge and a win that we want to achieve as a team. Hopefully we can play in South Africa the way we know we can play, and win the series.”
Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the Player of the Series, said: “I think I’ve got 10 (Player of the Series awards now). I enjoyed Wankhede honestly, and everyday there was something new, and I could challenge both edges. It was a wonderful performance by Ajaz. It doesn’t spin all the time in Wankhede, and he used the seam and put the ball in the right places, and there was a bit of destiny involved in his 10-for too. Jayant and I have trained together, he flew to Chennai from Haryana in 2014 to pick my mind, so we have a good relation. Axar and I have played since Kings XI. I would like to go to South Africa and win a series there, we haven’t done that before, and hopefully we can do it this time.”
Despite Mayank's place in doubt for the tour of South Africa, he's managed to play a remarkable innings under serious pressure #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/7FzMi2kF4i
— CricFit (@CricFit) December 5, 2021
Mayank Agarwal, who won the Player of the match, said: “It feels good to be back among the runs and this knock is special for me. I didn’t change anything from Kanpur, I just had the mental discipline and determination. The technique isn’t going to be the best all the time, it won’t guarantee runs, but the will to fight is key. Rahul bhai told me about not thinking of technique mid-series, and told me this is the technique that’s got me runs. Sunny sir said I should keep my bat low early on in the innings and opening up my left shoulder. I didn’t really think about the second hundred in the match, but should have converted the sixty. We will relish the abroad challenge in South Africa, so we’re looking forward to that too.”
Tom Latham, who led New Zealand in the absence of Kane Williamson, said: “A disappointing performance from us. Credit to India for putting up a great performance. 62 all-out would always have set us back. You always want to bat first here, and it only gets worse for batting, and it wasn’t how we wanted it to pan out. Guys are able to step up in different conditions and we have managed to get a lot of depth. Very special game for Ajaz, only the third time in the history of the game has a man got all ten. We’re going to play Bangladesh after we get back home and we’re going to start preparation for that series ASAP.”
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