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IND vs NZ: Trent Boult Expects India to Come Back Strong After Wellington Defeat, Says ‘They’re No.1 For a Reason’

Boult also hinted that New Zealand are likely to go with an all-seam attack in the second Test against India, starting on February 29.

New Zealand’s senior Trent Boult expects top-ranked India to come back strongly in the second Test at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, starting on Saturday. Black Caps defeated India by 10 wickets in the series opener in Wellington. The hosts outplayed Virat Kohli and Co. in every department of the game to hand India their first loss in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.

The magnitude of India’s defeat can be gauged from the fact the tourists failed to cross the 200-run mark in both the innings of Wellington Test. Despite the loss, Boult is expecting India to remain motivated. “We’re definitely expecting them to adapt pretty quickly and be positive coming into this test match,” Boult said in the pre-match conference ahead of the second Test.

“Their records speak for themselves. They’re No.1 in the world for a reason and that’s solely because they can adapt to any conditions,” he added.

The 30-year-old had missed the entire limited-overs leg of the tour against India because of an injury to his right hand. He had sustained the injury in the second Test against Australia in Melbourne in December. Boult, who took four Indian wickets in the second innings, including removing the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli.

Boult also added that he expects the green top at the Hagley Oval to be more conducive for his brand of swing bowling compared to the Basin Reserve strip. “…it’s probably better (than bowling at the Basin). The Basin generally turns into a very nice batting surface. There’s a lot of runs been scored there both in domestic and international cricket,” the left-handed bowler added.

“Here’s a slightly different story,” Boult said referring to the Christchurch strip.

“You are not battling the wind first of all. The overheads are there and it’s generally a nice place to pitch the ball up and get it swinging around.

“So we do enjoy coming here as a bowling unit. Hopefully, we can continue that over the next couple of days,” he added.

The green top here naturally excites any quick bowler and Boult is no exception. “It’s pretty exciting. Traditionally, you come down here, you normally see a bit of grass. From my point of view, I will be happy to see it stays like that and the ball moving around,” he said.

Boult also gave indications that Kyle Jamieson, after his match-winning all-round performance at the Basin, will be preferred over left-arm orthodox bowler Ajaz Patel.

“If you play four seamers you might struggle to get the ball at certain stages, but I think [captain] Kane [Williamson] will balance it nicely. That was our motto for a while on green wickets was to just go all-out seam. We know what we’re doing and we’re excited about it,” Boult signed off.

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