“And I think in the second game we were on the wrong side of the toss and it was tough to make that early breakthrough and, yeah, it was tough to come back from that.”
“Yes, it’s disappointing, no one wants to drop a catch. I felt the energy and ground defense wasn’t too bad, but obviously we had a few opportunities knocked down and in this area that can be detrimental to you.
“But no one is trying to drop it and people are working hard. This is something we are proud of as a New Zealand side so we will be looking to improve in that area too.”
Things will get even more difficult with the India tour next month. But for both batsmen and bowlers, the experience at Galle will undoubtedly serve them well.
“I think it’s important to get those overs into the spinners. When you play in New Zealand, obviously you don’t get a chance to bowl a lot. You want to learn as a player and as a team and move forward, so that’s what we’re going to do with India. Here’s what to do over the next week before your visit.
“Ajaz is obviously our main spinner and he has performed well throughout the series. Glenn Phillips, another player who has not bowled much, has really shown that he has grown and is getting stronger. They will all learn from that. , I hope you are doing well in India.”
For the batsmen, there will be no doubt about how that dreadful morning session on day three ended, but their immediate reaction certainly reflects more truthfully what this New Zealand team is hoping to achieve more consistently.
Despite the margin of defeat, New Zealand scored 360 runs, their highest score in Galle, at an impressive run rate of 4.40 per over. It also served as a kind of blueprint for how to effectively deal with rotating surfaces.
“The second innings was a lot closer to how we wanted to play. The guys were quite positive and played in a more positive way. It was a big change compared to the first innings.
“I think it was a much clearer way for the players to play. They went out and hit their shots. I don’t think it was reckless at any stage. Even someone like Mitchell Santner, he was still hitting 50 or so. ” of 100. So it was a good tempo innings and it was important to pick the right moment to attack and the right moment to defend.
“I think when the conditions were good enough and there was a lot of spin at certain times, the players were able to absorb it at times and put pressure back on the bowlers as well.”
