Hyderabad, Nov. 13: Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder was disappointed with his team’s performance on Day Two of the second Test against India. While the burly left-hander lifted his side to 350 with an entertaining knock of 70 off 120 deliveries, his teammates failed to assert themselves on Saturday.
“The Indians bowled pretty well and when we lost two quick wickets during the first hour of the day, we were on the backfoot. From thereon, India controlled the proceedings for the better part of the day,” Ryder pointed out.
On the team losing the plot after being placed at 258/4 on Friday, Ryder said, “Ending up at 350 was just not enough for us. I feel, we are at least 100 runs short.”
However, the southpaw was happy that his side could put the brakes on the Indian team by bagging two wickets towards the end of the day’s play. “That gave us some breathing space and it will be great if we could get some more purchase on Sunday morning,” Ryder mentioned.
On Zaheer Khan’s spell in the morning, Ryder said, “He was landing the ball on the right areas and that created problems for the batsmen.”
Talking about his form, the 26-year-old said, “I was striking the ball well. It was important to get my eye in and then go for my shots. I wanted to get a big score but that did not happen.”
On Virender Sehwag being dismissed for 96, Ryder said, “He played a great knock. He kept India in the hunt with that innings.”
Asked if Sehwag’s audacious shot selection in the nineties was bizarre, Ryder said, “His played his entire innings in a similar fashion. He always takes risks and it works for him. He was just one shot away from scoring a hundred.” With India grabbing the honours, the visitors too would believe that they can turn it around on what promises to be a superb Sunday.