BANGALORE, INDIA: New Zealand fast-medium Bowler Richard Hadlee renews his attempt to take sole possession of the world test series against India starting ‘on Saturday.
Hadlee, who shares the record of 373 wickets with lan Botham, appears at the start of the Indian Cricket tour to have found the masterly form that enabled him to equal the mark in Australia last December.
‘Subsequently, Hadlee failed to claim the record as his own because of injury during the opening test of the Home Series against England early this year.
All-rounder Bothan was denied the chance to increase his tally in England’s 1988 tests against West Indies because he underwent a back operation early in the season.
Fresh from a nine-wicket haul on a dead pitch in the first match of the tour of India, Hadlee will hope for an opportunity to use the Bangalore pitch first before its expected transformation into a dust bowl aiding India’s feared spinners
But Hadlee said that establishing the record and reaching the 400 wicket mark in tests had a lower priority than New Zealand’s bid to win the series.
Besides Hadlee’s anticipated telling contribution the form of India’s spin attack is a crucial factor at a venue where India and Pakistan lost 35 wickets to the slow bowlers and neither side reached 250 in any innings in 1987 during the last test played here.
New Zealand can match India’s spin trio in number, but neither in quality nor variety.
Such is the depth of the Indian slow bowling resources that left-arm spinner Ravi Shastri leg-spinner Narenda Hirwani and off-spinner Arshad Ayub have forced ‘out of the Bangalore match one of the world’s top bowlers, left-arm Maninder Singh
New Zealand’s slow bowling is spearheaded by John Bracewell’s off-breaks, with 34 year old left arm spinner Evan Gray and off-spinner Chris Kuggeleijn Tikely to join him in the spin attack.
In batting, New Zealand Captain John Wright, perhaps conscious of the accomplished Martin Crowe, has led from the front with two centuries in the two zonal games played so far.
His Indian counterpart, Dilip Vengsarkar, said: “We should win this test. The spinners are going to have a big say.”
India-Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Arun Lal, RaviShastri, Kapil Dev, Kirpan More, Sanjeey Sharma, Arshad Ayub, Narendra Hirwani, 12th man: Maninder Singh.
New Zealand (from)-John Wright (Captain) Trevor Franklin, Andrew Jones, Ken Rutherford, Mark Greatbatch, John Bracewell, Chris Kuggeleijn, Richard Hadlec, Tan Smith, Evan Gray, Ewen Chatfield, Danny Morrison,
Article extracted from this publication >> November 18, 1988
