South Africa vs New Zealand 2016: Ish Sodhi expects a completely different challenge against Proteas

Ish Sodhi said he is lot fitter now. 

New Zealand’s legspinner Ish Sodhi, who had spent nearly two years out of Test cricket, has made a fantastic comeback to the Test team. Sodhi said that learning to expect less from himself should help him perform better in the longer format of the game. The spinner had earlier done incredibly well in limited-overs cricket, especially during the T20 World Cup which was held in India.

The spinner also played a crucial role in New Zealand’s victory over the hosts as Sodhi picked up eight wickets in the two Test matches against Zimbabwe.

As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Ish Sodhi spoke about his performance in the series against Zimbabwe, "It was obviously very nice to win two Tests away from home, in pretty flat conditions. To take 20 wickets on those surfaces is obviously a very good effort for us, and, personally, I'm pretty happy with the way the ball came out, mainly in the second Test.”

The spinner added, "I think I tried to lose a bit of the expectation I had on myself being away from the Test side for a couple of years. To be able to do that was pretty pleasing."

During the conversation, the legspinner spoke about the importance of fitness and added, "And I got a lot fitter. I don't think I was fit enough to be able to bowl in the second innings when I first started playing cricket. I feel like now - still got a way to go - but definitely getting a bit closer to that now."

After arriving in Durban, the New Zealand players took a couple of days off. Some of them enjoyed a round of golf while some headed off for shark cage diving. The leg-spinner said that they should now start practicing as it is always a different challenge to play in a foreign country, “Totally different challenge, something that we're really looking forward to.”

Sodhi further added, "Being able to adapt to different conditions has been a strength for us for the last few years, and we'll look to do the same. When we see the wicket tomorrow, it could be low and slow, it could be a little bit zippy for the pace bowlers, but we've definitely got all the players to take those conditions on."