"Always tough to bounce back after being bowled out for 62" - Rachin Ravindra urge his side not to 'dwell' on past'
Kiwi all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has acknowledged that it was always going to be tough for New Zealand to bounce back. This is especially true after their humiliation of getting 62-all out in the first innings of the second Test in Mumbai. However, the Indian-origin player was hopeful that his side would not 'dwell' in the past and would put up a fight on Day 4 of the second Test.
Rachin Ravindra manifested a decent bowling performance in the second innings, grabbing three wickets to his name. The left-armer perished Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha. Notably, he was the only Kiwi blower barring Ajaz Patel, to register a wicket in the ongoing Test.
With India only five scalps away from victory, Ravindra and Henry Nicholls showed resistance and saw off the day with 140/5.
Following the end of the third day of play, the 22-year-old admitted that a lot of things had gone wrong for the visitors. However, he remained confident and mentioned that his side will keep fighting. He said:
"It's always tough to bounce back after being bowled out for 60, a lot of things went wrong. We all strive to be better. We tried to put that sort of stuff behind us. It was not our best performance but we knew we have got a second innings and we'll keep fighting from there."
He further added:
"It's important for this game to learn from what you've done and move on to the next thing, not necessarily dwelling on what's happened."
Nicholls (36*) & Ravindra (2*) will resume on Day 4 tomorrow, both showing plenty of character to close out Day 3 at Wankhede Stadium.
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"Each time we gave Ajaz the ball, we knew he was going to give results," said Rachin Ravindra
The youngster also lauded his fellow left-arm spinner for his brilliant bowling against India. The other Indian-origin spinner Ajaz Patel was the lone warrior in this match for New Zealand. He finished with 14 wickets from the match, including his record equalling 10-fer in the first innings. In the process, Patel also broke the record for taking the most wickets against India in Test encounters (14/225).
While revealing that he couldn't be happier for Ajaz, Ravindra divulged upon his importance to the team. He stated that every time New Zealand gave the ball to Patel, they knew that he was going to produce a result.
"I couldn't be happier for Jazzy (Ajaz). He's an incredible bloke and a great spinner. Each time we gave him the ball, we knew he was going to give us a result. Having him in the team is also helpful for me and the others in the team," he concluded.
Keeping good company @AjazP!
🤝 2nd best match figures in NZ Test history.
💪 Best figures by any bowler in a Test against India.
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As India stand on the cusp of a series-winning second Test win, they will look to bundle out New Zealand in the very first session tomorrow. Day 4 will start at 9:30 a.m. IST on Monday.