Bangladesh give ‘blueprint’ to New Zealand for second Test, says Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi with teammates, Cricfrenzy
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New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi said Bangladesh gave them the ‘blueprint’ for the upcoming second Test in Dhaka after their defeat in the first Test of the two-match series in Sylhet.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam claimed ten wickets to secure Bangladesh a famous win over the Kiwis.
New Zealand retained several players from the World Cup for the tour, but they failed to reproduce their sparkle from the earlier tournament, slumping to 181 all out in their second innings to fall to a 150-run loss.
That defeat was only New Zealand's second in Tests against Bangladesh, with the first coming at home in January 2022.
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“Obviously tough to come out on the losing side in that first game in select, but I think as the Test sort of progressed, we sort of found a bit more rhythm. Obviously haven't played Test cricket in a while, so it's always going to be tough in these conditions. And I think the way that Bangladesh played, they certainly outplayed us, but upon reflection, I think they gave us a blueprint on what's successful in these conditions, and hopefully we can apply that to this next test match,” said Sodhi on Monday.
The Kiwis lost to hosts India in the semi-final of the World Cup, which ended on November 19.
This series in Bangladesh marks the beginning of a new cycle of the World Test Championship, and Sodhi wants to finish strong after their hectic journey throughout the World Cup year.
“It'll be nice to finish strong. Like you say, it's been a really long time away and it's been a really successful last six or so months for the team. But it can come with a lot of emotions, roller coasters, like getting to a World Cup, getting to a semifinal, losing that amount of time people spend away from their families and friends in their home conditions and stuff. So it'd be really nice to finish on a high,”
“I think the boys are super motivated coming on this bus trip. So far, the conversations have already started how we're going to try to combat these conditions and combat a team that are really good in their own home conditions, and they showed that in the last test match. So boys are super motivated. Hopefully get some treats here before we leave and then we can go and smell that beautiful New Zealand air pretty soon” he added.
