India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI: These games will help Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, says Dinesh Karthik

Kuldeep Yadav picked up one wicket against New Zealand in the first ODI in Mumbai. (Source: Reuters)

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal failed to create the same impact against New Zealand on Sunday that they had done versus Australia in the previous series. As Tom Latham and Ross Taylor went about playing them and the rest of the Indian bowlers comfortably, to seal a six wicket win, Dinesh Karthik feels that such games will only make the spinners better for the future.

Latham (103*) and Taylor (95) added 200 runs in New Zealand’s comfortable win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. It helped New Zealand chase down a stiff 280 run total.

“These are the kind of games which makes you mentally tougher as a bowler. These are the kind of games which are going to help them to stand up to pressure and learn how to handle pressure when the wicket is not so much helping them,” Karthik said at the post-match media conference.

“The team management backed them a lot and they believe in themselves. They are two young guys and they have produced some fantastic spells in the last series and I am sure their confidence is sky high. One game here and there, doesn’t not make you a bad bowler,” he added.

Karthik, like India skipper Virat Kohli, praised Latham and Taylor for scripting a convincing run chase in tricky conditions. “Credit to Tom Latham and Ross Taylor. They batted really well. They made use of the conditions and played some good shots. They used the sweep to some good effect,” Karthik observed.

The Tamil Nadu batsman rued that he couldn’t convert a confident start into an even bigger score. He expressed disappointment at not playing longer than he did during his knock of 37 runs from 47 balls. “There are two ways to look at it. It was a decent start. Having said that, a player like me should have tried and batted a little longer. And that is something, I am disappointed about.”

“I could have batted a little more and we would have probably ended up getting 15-20 runs more towards the end. May be, I got out at a critical time in the game. So pretty disappointed with that aspect but it was decent start and good to have that partnership with Virat,” Karthik added.

He further added that the ball didn’t come easily on to the bat and the wicket looked different in the first innings than in the second. “Look initially, I think the wicket was very sticky and it wasn’t easy. A lot of balls going uppish in the air and it was very hard to drive. It was not coming onto to the bat. It looked like two different wickets (during two innings).”

“To be really honest, it was not easy to score runs, the ball going left and right of mid-off and covers and in the air, we were not able to time the ball as well,” he said.