'Conditions in New Zealand make it one of the toughest places to play cricket in' - Shardul Thakur

Indian team’s elation of winning the T20I series against New Zealand in their own backyard by a margin of 5-0 was defused shortly, as they were thumped in the first two ODI matches of the three-match series by the Black Caps, who were missing their captain Kane Williamson and were battling illness and injuries.

India was soundly beaten in the first match as their total of 340 plus was chased down quite easily thanks to a brilliant century by Ross Taylor and half-centuries by Nicholls and Latham. In the second match, India had to chase down 270-odd runs, but failure at the top and in the middle order led them to lose a match they should have won.

One of the steadiest Indian bowlers in the T20I series, Shardul Thakur has not been that efficient in the 50-over format in the two matches he has played and has expressed that the unusual ground dimensions in the New Zealand and the windy conditions are something hard to get used to. He also felt the conditions in New Zealand is something that makes it one of the toughest places to play cricket in.

‘You don’t play on such grounds every day’: Shardul Thakur

“It is very difficult because you don’t get to play on grounds like this every day. That’s why they say New Zealand is a difficult country to play cricket in. I feel that when you practice in the nets you have to practice in the manner in which you are going to bowl the next day,” Thakur was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Thakur got injured on his Test debut against West Indies and had to go through the rigours of rehabilitating and then playing the domestic cricket to get back into the contention for the Indian team once again. He feels one needs to mentally prepare themselves given that opponents might surprise you.

He also mentioned that with the third match being sort of a dead rubber, his teammates will play more freely now and are looking forward to avoiding a whitewash in the ODI series.

“When you play international cricket, every game matters for every player. When you are 2-0 down, you can express yourself even more – our skills, our variations in bowling. Batsmen can play their shots, can execute shots and express themselves. That’s how we will approach it,” he added.

Watch: Irfan Pathan’s interview post his retirement