NEWS
Follow UsNew Zealand Test captain Tim Southee conceded that his team were not at their very best against Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series which they lost 0-2, but at the same time was positive enough to consider that the learnings from Galle, where both the Tests were played, will prove important in the three-match series against India, starting October 16.
"Looking back at the first innings of the first Test, if we were able to push on there and gain a bit more of a lead then things may have been different in the series,” Southee was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"And I think the second match we were on the wrong side of the toss and it was tough to make those early breakthroughs and, yeah, it's tough to come back from that,” added the Kiwi captain.
Addressing the dropped chances in the second game which then resulted in Sri Lanka putting on a massive total of 602/5 before declaring the innings, the 35-year-old said, "No one means to drop catches. I felt like the energy and the ground fielding wasn't too bad, but obviously, a couple of chances went down and it can hurt you in this part of the world.”
Talking about the learnings for the spinners–Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, who bowled nearly 125 overs combined in the second Test alone, Southee said that it would serve the team well ahead of the India tour.
"Ajaz is our main spinner and he did well throughout the series. Glenn Phillips, another guy who hasn't bowled all that much, really showed that he has grown, and gone from strength to strength. They will all learn from that and we will hopefully do well in India."
The New Zealand side got out for their lowest total in Sri Lanka in Tests during the first innings of the second match where they were bundled out for 88. However, in the second innings of that game, they managed to put on their highest total (360) at Galle.
Explaining the poles apart difference in the two innings, Southee said, "The second innings was much more the way we wanted to play. The guys were quite positive and played more positively. It was a big shift from the first innings.”
"I think it was a much clearer way for the guys to play. They went out and they played their shots. I don't think it was reckless at any stage, even someone like Santner, was still hitting something like 50 off 100. So it was a good tempo innings, and it was about picking the right moments to attack and right moments to defend,” he added.
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