Published: Feb 15, 2014, 01:40 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 15, 2014, 01:40 AM (IST)
Ishant took six for 51 on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand, his second consecutive six-wicket haul in this series, after taking six for 134 in the first innings at Auckland. He went on to take nine wickets in that match, which India lost by 40 runs.
“I am the same bowler who bowled against Ponting in 2007-08 and the same bowler who was Man of the sseries in 2011. I am the same bowler. This pitch is the same as last match. I don’t analyse my bowling a lot, because at this stage, ahead of the game it is only about mental thinking,” said Ishant, after his superb bowling effort.
When asked, if playing 70-odd One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 55 Tests had helped make him a better bowler, he replied, “You only learn from experience. I have seen enough ups and downs in my life.
Whenever there is an important tour, I get dropped. Whenever there is an easy tour, I am in the team. It’s a really hard thing for me.”
“I have been bowling well since South Africa. It is just that people are recognizing more now, because I am taking more wickets. I didn’t do anything different. Just looked to bowl in the right areas, in fact we all did, we all bowled very well. Only [Mohammad] Shami and I got the rewards. Zaheer [Khan] was very unlucky to not take any wickets,” he added.
Shami took four for 70 to provide able support to the one-change bowler and together they routed New Zealand for a paltry score of 192 runs in their first innings. This was after skipper MS Dhoni won his seventh straight toss on the tour and elected to bowl first on a very green wicket.
