IND vs NZ 2021: "They have been very professional" - Sanjay Bangar lauds India's all-round display in series victory
Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar heaped praise on Team India's ruthless display in the 3-0 series win over New Zealand.
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Bangar also brought up Harshal Patel's displays since his debut in the series and lauded him for his ability to bowl with the wet ball. Dew was a constant presence in the series, even in the first innings.
Team India fared well with the wet ball, especially bowling second under the lights at Eden Gardens. While speaking on Star Sports show Follow The Blues, Bangar said:
"How Harshal Patel took his chance in his debut match was really impressive because he's someone who's been known to rely a lot on his slow ball variations and in a match wherein there was a lot of dew. Despite that, he overcame that challenge and bowled really well with a wet ball and still used his variations, with cutters and slow bouncers. I felt that was a big plus for the Indian team as well."
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Spinners are also affected when it comes to dew, but the duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, who played the majority of the series, were rather immune to it. The left-arm spinner was named the player of the match for his display in the third T20I.
Bangar added:
"They (India) have been very professional, they have been put under the pump a bit by the New Zealand openers but the way Indian spinners have responded in the middle overs has been fantastic.
"So, Ashwin and Axar Patel both bowling well in tandem has really worked well for the Indian team in the middle overs and when they were chasing, I felt that the form that both the openers are turning out on a consistent basis has been really clinical for the Indian team performances in the series so far."
Ashwin and Axar Patel are set to stay back for the Test series against New Zealand.
The duo played a major role in the last home Test series India played against England and will look to continue the same in the two-match Test series beginning later this week (November 25).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has got his swing back: Bangar
Another positive to come out of the triumphant series victory was the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was dropped from the team after their first match in the T20 World Cup.
The seamer was able to find swing with the new ball in familiar conditions and led the attack with conviction. Bangar further said:
"Can't take anything away from somebody like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who's got his swing back because whenever he's played and he's bowled with that new ball, he's got his swing back."
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was replaced by Shardul Thakur and could not make his way back into the playing XI for the rest of the tournament. He claimed three wickets in 10 overs in the series at an economy of 7.5.