New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner believes that Team India will find it tough to make a comeback at “bouncy and pacy” Christchurch wicket after suffering massive 10-wicket defeat in the first Test of the two-match Test series at Wellington on February 24.
Wagner further claimed that Indian batsmen will struggle and get a liberal dose of "chin music" at the seamer-friendly Hagley Oval – which will host the second and final Test between New Zealand and India to be played from February 29 (Saturday).
Read Also: NZ v IND 2020: Neil Wagner shares plan to dislodge Virat Kohli in Christchurch Test
The 33-year-old, who pulled out of the Wellington Test for the birth of his first child – daughter Olivia, said the Kiwis will employ the same strategy – trouble the Indian batsmen with short balls in the final Test starting Saturday to clinch the rare Test series over the Indians.
Wagner said on Wednesday (February 26), “It’s obviously tough for them to come here and play where there is obviously a bit more bounce and pace. Obviously, playing in India where there is not that much bounce and pace around and so it is something new for them to adapt to.”
The seamer was also hopeful that New Zealand will repeat the Wellington show at Christchurch, saying they need to keep piling the pressure on India as they will come back stronger in the second Test after harrowing defeat earlier this week.
He further explained, “Hopefully, we can keep the squeeze on and bowl the way the boys bowled in Wellington and if we can keep piling the pressure on, we will make the job a lot easier for ourselves. Sometimes when you tour overseas, it takes a match or two to get used to the conditions and adapt from there. No doubt they will be better and they will come back stronger. Definitely we look forward to doing what we do best in our conditions and keep fighting the way we did.”
On the deserving break, the happy father said: “If she was going to be born early, hopefully on Monday and I would have definitely been there with the team but so be it.”
Wagner signed off by saying, “She wanted to try and stay a little bit longer and yeah, give her dad a little bit of a hard time. It’s one of those things but I wouldn’t change it for anything else in the world.”
(With PTI Inputs)
