JOIN USOutplayed again by India, stand-in New Zealand captain Ross Taylor opted to look at the brighter side, saying they will be hoping to bow out on a high in the third Test at Indore.
“It’s disappointing to lose (badly). 376 was always tough (to chase) but the bowlers fought throughout and that’s something we can take to Indore. It was pretty hot and humid out there. I liked the way they kept trucking in asking for the ball and the hostility they bowled with sometimes. We’re seen as a friendly team but as a fast bowler you need a bit of mongrel so for Henners (Matt Henry) — who hasn’t played for a while — to come and get six wickets on that wicket was good.
“I'd hark back to being 100 runs behind in the first innings. In hindsight it would have been nice to score a few more runs. You are playing catch up from the huge lead we conceded. There is a lot of what-ifs. At the end of the day we were beaten by a better side. Our pacemen’s (show) is definitely a positive and even the way (Mitchell) Santner and Jeets (Jeetan Patel) bowled. Jeets coming in wasn't easy after only being in the country for a day and a half. To bowl as well as he did in that first innings and score some valuable runs, we could have been even further behind the eight ball."
Disappointed at his own batting form, Taylor felt the extreme heat played a role in their defeat. “Definitely up with hottest Test series I’ve been part of. A lot of their bowlers and batsmen were tired too. Pretty hot and humid. Ideal world would be to send players and get exposure. But it comes down to funding but lucky some players come into IPL, mix and mingle with the stars of today to get knowledge. Kohli says its cooler in Indore so I’m happy.”