If we could have dismissed India with scores more or less level, it would have been a pretty exciting finish to the third day. But Harbhajan batted brilliantly to pull India ahead. We now need to dismiss the last wicket early on Monday and then bat the day to take control of the match.
I could have probably tried Tim Southee for a couple of more overs when Harbhajan and Sreesanth were batting. When things don’t go your way, there are always things you could have done differently.
It is bit of a shame that even though we stuck to our plans for most of the day, Harbhajan played so well that he undid all the good work.
Overall we are pretty satisfied with the day. Realistically it was just that last 45 minutes of the play which was disappointing.
Still, for us to come back after the way Viru batted was a testimony to the character of the side. Viru is normally in good form and is batting better than the previous innings. He is a very good player who has no fear.
What he does best is put pressure back on bowlers. We now need to adapt to that and that’s really the key. We need to put the pressure back on Viru and dictate terms to him in the second innings.
The Test has gone pretty well for us till now. I guess as a captain I am too picky, but the guys have stuck to the task.
Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill and Jesse Ryder have weighed in with the bat. The middle-order is showing continued improvement. For McIntosh to score a hundred after a pair in the first Test shows his ability.
To think that our two key batsmen Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor are yet to strike a hundred makes it all the more exciting as we head into the most crucial phase of this series.