IND vs NZ: SG ball, Bengaluru wicket surprised and helped us: O’Rourke

William O’Rourke, playing only his fifth Test, already looks like the best amongst the New Zealand pacers. He picked seven wickets in the Bengaluru Test against India, only one short of the highest wicket-taker so far, Matt Henry. But for O’Rourke, it is only his first tour of the subcontinent and he was equally impressive in Sri Lanka, where he picked eight wickets, including a five-for. 

Impressed by the Bengaluru wicket, O’Rourke, who picked three wickets in India’s second innings, said, "My first time here, [the pitch] had a little bit more bounce, a bit more pace than what we probably expected coming over here, which suits a bowler like me. So far, I've enjoyed it.”

"I think as pace bowlers, we've enjoyed it [SG ball]. It's got a bit more of a pronounced seam than the Kookaburra, so it seems to be nice and hard to start with. So, it goes through nicely. And big seams are always a big plus,” he added in his press conference at the end of Day 4, while complimenting the SG ball used in India. 

With 26 wickets in five Tests at an average of 18.84, O’Rourke has quite a start to his career in the red-ball format. Add to it the wicket of Virat Kohli, and it is as good as it gets for the Kiwi bowler. 

"It's pretty special getting someone so great, one of the greats of our game, out like that. You grow up watching those guys. So, to come here and take that wicket, it's probably right up there as one of the wickets I've got," the 23-year-old said while smiling through his ears about the achievement. 

What does the United Kingdom-born Kiwi pacer bring to the table in between a taller but slower than him and reliant on swing Tim Southee and a shorter but faster than him and more of a back-of-length bowler Henry? The answer was balance. 

"I think the message from Steady [Gary Stead] and Jake [Jacob Oram] was just to go there and be myself. And that's sort of what I bring, is a bit of balance, which is a little bit different to Matt [Henry] and Tim [Southee],” the Canterbury pacer explained about his role in the side.  

Though New Zealand need only 107 to win, O’Rourke doesn’t consider it to come about easily. 

"I wouldn't say it's an easy win from here. We've got a world-class team going up against us but I think we've got to be confident going out there tomorrow. Hopefully, for our sake, the rain stays away, and we get a chance to have a crack at it."

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