New Zealand pacer William O’Rourke’s honest remark after restricting India to 462 in their second innings has been making headlines. O’Rourke, who shared six wickets equally with fellow pacer Matt Henry, emphasized the challenge of facing a “world-class team” like India in the final day of the first Test.
SOURCE : ZEE
The Kiwis bowled India out for 462, setting themselves a target of 107 runs to win the match. Despite the modest chase, O’Rourke remained cautious, acknowledging the formidable nature of the Indian team. “I wouldn’t say it’s an easy win from here. We’ve got a world-class team going up against us. But we’ve got to be confident going out there tomorrow,” O’Rourke said during the post-day press conference.
Source:- bbc news
O’Rourke’s first outing in India has been enjoyable so far, thanks to the pace and bounce offered by the Chinnaswamy Stadium. “My first time here so probably had a little bit more bounce, a bit more pace than what we probably expected coming over here which obviously suits a bowler like me,” he added.
The young fast bowler cherished the prized wicket of Virat Kohli in the first innings, describing it as a surreal moment. “It’s obviously pretty special getting someone so great, one of the greats of our game, out like that. Obviously, you grow up watching those guys. So, to come here and take that wicket, it’s probably right up there,” O’Rourke said.
Sarfaraz Khan’s 150 and Rishabh Pant’s 99 put a lot of pressure on the Kiwis, but O’Rourke praised his team’s resilience. “I’ve been pretty hot and cold with the ball. Pant and Sarfaraz have batted very well for a long time, but that second new ball started doing a little bit for us. So, good to Timmy (Southee) getting that first breakthrough (Sarfaraz) and then lucky enough to get a chop (Pant) there to sort of give us a bit of momentum going through,” he noted.
O’Rourke also thanked Kyle Jamieson for being his mentor, even though Jamieson is currently recuperating from a back stress fracture. “Kyle’s been a bit in the background. So, learning from him and, obviously, he’s had a hell of a start to his international career and he’s one of the best bowlers in the world,” O’Rourke added.
The final day promises to be an exciting one, with New Zealand needing to carefully navigate the Indian bowling attack to achieve the target. The Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, will be looking to exploit any weaknesses and restrict New Zealand to a below-par score.
Cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the final day’s play, hoping to witness a thrilling finish to the first Test. The outcome of this match will set the tone for the rest of the three-Test series between the two teams
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