Taylor wants New Zealand to attack Indian spinners

New Zealand skipper urges batsmen to forget their Hyderabad blues and put up a brave show against India's spinners to save two-Test series

New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said his teammates have forgotten the Hyderabad Test defeat and are charged up to take on India in the second Test beginning at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here today.

“We are not thinking about the first Test loss. We have to be brave and courageous to put pressure on Indian spinners.”

Right: Ross Taylor plays a lofted shot as teammate Martin Guptill looks on during a practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/AFP

Taylor said the team was working hard to tackle the Indian spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha to stay in the contest and try to level the two-Test series. “We have decided to fight back and are working hard to play against spin.”

Cloudy
Taylor said the condition of the wicket would depend on the weather as it had been raining in Bangalore. “We have to see how much sun the pitch gets as it has been cloudy since we landed here on Tuesday. Though the pitch looks hard at the top, it could be soft beneath.”

Meanwhile, India are expected to retain the winning combination, “We will be playing the same team that played in Hyderabad. (Virender) Sehwag will open the innings, (Cheteshwar) Pujara will bat at three, (Virat) Kohli at five,” India skipper MS Dhoni said yesterday.

Dhoni had no qualms in admitting that he wanted to see a spin-oriented track. “I have requested the groundsmen for a turning track though batsmen have to play on whatever track is provided to them. As the sub-continental specialty is spin, I think we should stick to it,” he said.

Centurion Pujara, has recovered from an injury he sustained while practicing on Wednesday, “Pujara is fit to play. He batted and fielded well today,” Dhoni said.

India won the first Test at Hyderabad by an innings and 115 runs on Sunday. Ashwin and Ojha claimed 18 of the
20 wickets.
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