“It’s really important, every run counts and I think I’m still at the crease now so my job is to try to put 10, 15, 20, as much as I can on the board because I know getting those 10, 15, 20 could be a tough slog at the end of those other innings.”
Ajaz also pointed out another trend that has been seen over the course of this Test match. “I think if we’ve seen the pattern in terms of the wicket, I guess, over the last few days, in the morning it probably doesn’t do as much as it does in the afternoon.”
There were three wickets in the first session of the first day and 11 thereafter. Similarly, there was a wicket on the morning of day two and on the 14th thereafter.
“I’m not sure if that’s because of the swinging or the heat and the wicket drying out throughout the day,” Ajaz said. “So it will be interesting to see how that wicket plays out tomorrow morning, whether he reacts the same way or whether it’s a little bit different. So yeah, I certainly guess in the morning if he’s not doing as much, trying to bat the biggest as long as possible so we can wait for it to dry and start spinning again.
Whatever goal is put in front of them, India supports itself to achieve it.
“And then when you know, even for the fielding team, once there’s a 70-80 run partnership, even as we saw today, when you’re chasing 150, the opposition’s body language drops as well.”
Sunday dawns with one team pushing for a historic cover-up and the other desperate to reestablish its winning ways.
