Former New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner has recalled epic battles with Indian legends MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli during the team' tour to the Kiwi Land. The pacer stated that the short-ball strategy reaped rich rewards as the Indian duo struggled to take the game head-on. The short-pitched bowling also ended Dhoni's stay at the crease.
Wagner stated that the CSK icon appeared to be really coping well with the bouncer plan, yet he managed to dismiss the Indian skipper. The former Kiwi player also said that he thought Dhoni played the shot pitched bowling way better than the young Kohli. The left-arm pacer further went on to explain what plan he devised to get rid of the RCB player during the opening Test of that series at Eden Park, where the hosts secured an easy win.
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"This Test match, I remember the wicket being quite flat, but there was a bit of pace and bounce. Eden Park is quite small on the straight, but the square boundaries there are pockets that are helpful. I remember bowling a couple of bouncers and how they played it, and particularly [Virat] Kohli looked a bit unsettled. He didn't know if he should take it on or not, and how to play," Wagner said on the Red Inker Cricket Podcast.
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Neil Wagner recalls the moment he dismissed MS Dhoni
Wager also recalled that Dhoni appeared to be a lot more comfortable playing the short-pitched bowling than Kohli. However, the former pacer in the end dismissed the Indian captain on that tour with a surprise slower-ball bouncer to send him back to the pavilion. The hosts set a daunting target of 407 runs in the fourth innings, and the left-arm pacer's disciplined spell of 4/62 played a pivotal role in India being bowled out for 366.
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The idea was to go across and outside the eyeline. He (Kohli) tried to pull it in front of the square because there's protection out. Him trying to pull it in front of the square; he just got a toe end on it, and it carried through to BJ Watling. He got a bottom edge on it, and it created a bit of a mode. Then Dhoni and Jadeja looked like they were going to chase it down and play a phenomenal innings.
"Dhoni didn't look like it was bothering him too much. It was all about taking the positive and aggressive option for us and not being fearful at all. I was like I am going to bowl a slower ball bouncer to Dhoni. I did it, and he chopped it on, and I was amazed by it. The confidence that I got from that and backing your gut feeling made me feel like getting some confidence and some self-belief," Wagner said.
