Team India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar added that it is too harsh to refer to the team’s batters are poor players of spin amid their collapse against Mitchell Santner in the second Test in Pune as well. He, instead, credited New Zealand for exploiting the conditions much better than the Indian Team.

At a press conference on Wednesday, October 30, Nayar said (as quoted by The Times of India): “Well, I think firstly that’s a bit of a harsh statement for anyone (on India no longer being good players of spin). I think credit goes to the New Zealand bowlers as they exploited the conditions well and they were very consistent.”

“I feel that when we talk about playing aggressive cricket when you talk about having aggressive intent, there are going to be times when it may not work out for you. And I think Gauti (head coach Gautam Gambhir) has said this before, at times when you get games like Bangladesh, where we go in and get the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, there are going to be days when it doesn’t look as good and, you know, fruitful,” he added.

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“But I think sometimes it’s about sticking to the process and the belief systems when you’re trying to achieve something. I’ve always believed as a team or as an individual, there’s always going to be a time when you take a certain dip because you’re trying to play cricket differently and you’re trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Sometimes the results don’t go your way,” Nayar further added.

However, there have been some reports doing the rounds that Team India speedster Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for the Mumbai Test, keeping his workload in Mumbai in mind. But speaking at the press conference, Nayar hinted that Bumrah is likely to be part of the playing XI of the third Test in Mumbai.

“He (Bumrah) has not bowled a lot. He has got ample rest. He is very important to us and workload is always in our mind… In the morning, there will be swing and seam. At Wankhede, you’ll have pacers with a smile on their face,” he concluded.