“Overall, for me, I’ve been pretty on a roll, pretty hot and cold with the ball,” O’Rourke said at the end of the fourth class. “Pants and Sarfaraz [Khan] Obviously I batted really well for a long time there, but that second new ball came along and started to do a little bit for us.
“So, credit to Timmy [Tim Southee] for buying that first leap forward [of Sarfaraz] and closer I was lucky to get a small cut there [from Pant] to give us a little boost.”
Sarfaraz, in particular, handled O’Rourke well, picking him for 39 runs off 35 balls and repeatedly removing him from his position with late ramps and cuts. While O’Rourke said he and the rest of the bowling unit could have been tighter with their lengths, he credited Sarfaraz for using the angles and opening up the field.
“He [Sarfaraz] He played me very well,” O’Rourke said. “With that attitude where I run away, that modest touch opens up. Yes, we might have been in the game a little bit, but he did very well.
“I would have liked to be a little tighter. Obviously, one of its strengths is that [the late cut]. So, yes, I would have liked it to be a little tighter, but I needed a little more width and he pushed me away. So you have to give him credit.”
O’Rourke has had an exciting start to his Check career. This is his fifth Test and he has already taken 26 wickets at 18.84, which includes two five-fors. Fifteen of his 26 wickets were in the subcontinent. He had a magnificent tour of Sri Lanka which ended beyond where he took eight wickets in two Tests and has endured his excellent run in the Republic of India.
“I think we had a very good preparation in Tauranga and in Lincoln,” he mentioned of his good fortune in the subcontinent. “We had some grounds that were a little bit drier than we’re probably used to at that time of year in New Zealand. And yeah, learning from guys like Matt Henry, Tim Southee, who’ve been here before and done it. Before, it’s been huge for me to come here.”
In the first innings here, O’Rourke took four wickets, including Virat Kohli for a duck.
“Obviously it’s very special to get someone so big, one of the greats of our game, to come out like that,” he mentioned about Kohli’s field. “You grow up watching those guys. So to come here and take that wicket, it’s probably one of the best. [best] windows that I have.”
Year O’Rourke has been pleasantly surprised by the unmistakable jump he has on the Bengaluru pitch, he also loves to bowl with the SG ball.
“It has a slightly more pronounced seam than the Kookaburra. [that New Zealand use at home]so it seems nice and difficult to start. It fits very well and the large seams are always a big plus. [It’s] my first time here and [Bengaluru] I probably had a little more bounce, a little more pace than we expected coming here, which suits a bowler like me. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it.
“We definitely do our scouting and stuff before the games. I would say, considering the age in my career, I’m more of a feeling bowler. “I love repeating what I do, running and doing what I do. “But I certainly look at players in the past, I like to understand their strengths and weaknesses, but I think sometimes it’s just about being me and doing what I do.”
Ashish Pant is Deputy Editor of ESPNcricinfo
