Ahmedabad, Nov. 7: India’s slow left-arm bowler Pragyan Ojha reckoned the hosts could still pull off a win on the final day of the first Test here on Monday, if they could manage to set the visitors a target of 170-odd runs.
“If we can reach to about 160-170 with the lead, we can make a match of it. We’ll just have to bat session by session, and not think much about what happened today,’ said Ojha after taking a career-best 4/107 on the day.
India were 82/6 at stumps, leading New Zealand by 110 runs, after Chris Martin scythed through the side, taking 5/41. Ojha praised the Martin’s show. “It was a great spell by Martin but we have still some batting to come. Bhajji is there (at the crease giving Laxman company). Zak (Zaheer Khan) is there and I’m there,” Ojha said.
“Martin was very aggressive and he made the ball move a lot more than he had done in the first innings,” Ojha mentioned.
Ojha said the track did not offer much turn, but added that it was better than the previous one when India played out a draw against Sri Lanka last year. “When Daniel bowled wide of the off stump, the ball turned sharply but it did not do as much when the ball was pitched within the stump. This wicket now is giving some assistance to the bowlers,” Ojha said.