JOIN USIt was during John Wright’s tenure as the coach that India successfully shed their image of ‘tigers at home’ and the former New Zealand opener was ‘surprised’ that MS Dhoni and company haven’t won a Test abroad in the last two and a half years, during which they have lost nine of out of 10 matches since the England series in 2011.
“It surprises me actually,” Wright, who was watching the second day’s play of the Irani Cup match here on Monday, said while suggesting that it all boiled down to how hungry the players were to win. “I did not realise that (they have lost nine Tests away). You got to try and be strong at both home and away. Sourav (Ganguly), Rahul (Dravid) and Sachin (Tendulkar) were very keen to win away from home. They were very special,” he remarked.
In the ongoing tour of New Zealand, Indians have struggled to find their feet. After losing the five-match ODI series 0-4, they suffered a 40-run loss in the opening Test, their spirited fightback while chasing 407 for victory in the fourth innings being the only saving grace.
“New Zealand have been pretty consistent which is good for our cricket,” the Mumbai Indians coach pointed out. “There are some good youngsters coming through and New Zealand is generally a tough place to tour, most teams find it tough. It was the first innings that was the clincher for New Zealand against India. When you concede a lead of 300, it’s very difficult to come back into the game. They (India) did have an opportunity to win the Test (second innings) but they needed one more partnership towards the end. The last 100 runs are always difficult to chase,” he reasoned while adding that the second Test at Wellington will also have a result.
Wright felt that India had a good chance of levelling the two-Test series. “India will have to play well in the first innings in the second Test. They can make a comeback... Did they not play well in South Africa?”