New Zealand bowling spearhead Neil Wagner has opened up on what he would do to square up arguably the best batsman in the world – India’s Virat Kohli, ahead of the second Test at Christchurch. According to the deadly left-armer, ‘drying up’ Kohli would be the best way of sending him back to the pavilion.
Wagner has made giant strides in the longest version of the game, benefitting from his skiddy action and home pitches. He is known for bowling consistent lines alongside fearsome lengths, most notably for long periods. The Kiwi is also one of the few in world cricket to have Kohli tied up in wraps many a time. In the 108 balls, he has bowled to the Indian talisman, Wagner has dismissed him thrice.
In fact, the pacer could cause Kohli all sorts of problems in the forthcoming Test match as not only would he be coming back fresh, but also possibly exploit the Indian captain’s dry spell of form. Kohli only managed 21 runs in the Wellington Test, which India eventually lost by 10 wickets.
Speaking to Stuff, Wagner charted out a potentially lethal game plan for Kohli. He opined:
“Every team I play against I always try and target and go for their best players, because you know what a big stride it makes within a team when you get their best players out. Drying him up, making sure they don’t score and putting a lot of pressure on him from both ends [is imperative].”
Wagner also added that the historic 2013-14 victory against India, where he shone with 4-62 in the final innings. Since then, he has established himself as a premium old ball tormentor. Revisiting that home tour, he continued:
“I think it was a stage where I was still trying to find my feet in the team and trying to find a way of getting a role and doing my role in the team. That’s one of the Test matches where it did turn. The way I bowl at the moment, that’s where it started. It was an amazing Test win and something I always look back to and I think it kickstarted my career. Before that, I was going through the phase where you have quite a few ups and downs and try to find your feet.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the management opts to play Wagner in the final Test, after Kyle Jamieson enjoyed a brilliant debut, returning with 4-39 in the first innings and a fearless 45-ball 44 with the bat.
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