Wellington, Nov 7 (IANS) New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has played down concerns over his side’s batting after another sub-par showing in the ODI series against India, adding that the toss had been a key factor and batting first in bowler-friendly conditions had proved tricky for both teams.

New Zealand were bowled out for 134 in the second ODI here at the Hnry Stadium, coming just a few days after being dismissed for 185 in the series opener in Auckland. India, however, had to dig deep in the rain-affected chase and scraped home by four runs (DLS method) to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

“I think we’ve seen, like, probably throughout, like the tosses played a part in terms of the result. Batting first has been a little bit trickier than second, when it gets under lights and a little bit of moisture. Never any real frustration around totals and that sort of thing.

“There are days where we’d like more runs, and there are days where I’m sure the batters would like us to take a few more wickets too. So, just, part and parcel. I’m sure the boys will be reflecting and learning as they always do and hoping for a good effort in Hamilton,” said Jamieson in the post-match press conference.

The two sides meet in the third ODI in Hamilton on Tuesday. The tall fast bowler said the surfaces had been difficult to read for the side batting first, with uneven bounce making it hard to judge a competitive score. “I think we’ve probably seen across both the T20s and one-dayers, right? The team that’s batted first has probably had to just be a little bit cautious around the wicket.

“It’s probably been a little bit, probably less on the T20s, but there’s been a little bit of a two-paced nature in the wicket. A little bit more bounce probably through these first couple of one-dayers. So trying to assess, like, what a good score is pretty tricky. In the end, their bowlers were outstanding," he said.

“So they’ve certainly put us under a lot of pressure. We have got to, I guess, find ways to respond to find a total that, you know, we can kind of bowl at and be competitive with,” he added.

Jamieson was also quick to dismiss any suggestion that the middle order was the problem, insisting batters on both sides had found the going tough. “I wouldn’t say so. I mean, I think the conditions in both games have been kind of more in the bowler’s favour, and if you can kind of exert a bit of pressure, there’s been a little bit of extra bounce, sort of tennis-ball bounce as well, so not quite as consistent as probably what you’d expect.

“And it’s been a challenge for both sides, right? I think not just middle orders but top orders as well. So, as I say, it’s sort of been a little bit probably more in the bowler’s favour. But it’s been equally challenging for both batting lineups.”

With little to defend, Jamieson kept the contest alive by picking 3-35 in his 10 overs. He added that bowlers had decided at the innings break to put up a fight regardless of the modest target, and also spoke admiringly of how KL Rahul was hard to dislodge while making 26 not out off 38 balls.

“I’ve certainly seen a fair amount of him. I think I’ve just about bowled to him every practice at Delhi for two months. He’s obviously class, right? Like, he’s so good and such a rock-solid player at that number six; I think he was today. So, it would have been nice to obviously have a little bit longer out there, see if we could have a bit more of a crack at some of the bowlers and see if we could open that up.

“But, it wasn’t too bad, I think. We kind of spoke about the halfway mark around -- sort of regardless of the runs on the board and how that had played out in the first innings. Still trying to, I guess, show some fight as a bowling unit and just seeing what happens. So I think we can probably say we did that pretty well, and just a little bit of rain, and a little bit of lack of runs kind of held us up today,” he added.

The pursuit of defending a small total, Jamieson said, came down to discipline over a long period. “When conditions are kind of in our favour, it’s probably, as a default, a little bit easier for a bowling unit, right? You kind of start in your, I guess, conventional plans, and then you’re often trying to adjust from that. So if the wicket is flat or teams are getting away, you’re kind of adjusting from that.

“But you’re always starting at your probably top-of-the-off standard stuff, trying to move the ball both in the air and off the wicket, and then just kind of see what happens and go from that. So you’re probably, like, the challenge is can you stay there for long enough, right?

“And especially when the runs on the board are kind of not as high as we would have liked, you know you’re under a little bit of pressure there, you don’t have too much leeway. So, the challenge just becomes trying to stick to that for as long as possible,” he said.

The ODI pitches have been a far cry from the run-fests of the T20I series that preceded them, and Jamieson believed a fresh drop-in surface had made the difference. “It was nice, wasn’t it? Nice change for us bowlers. I mean, obviously a couple or a week or so, whenever it was, between the T20 and one-days, I think it was a fresh drop-in pitch from my understanding.

“It can just change. I think it’s probably a little bit probably quite more what we’re used to at this ground than probably what we were for the T20. I think T20 tends to probably be a bit more batter-friendly than it is for bowlers. So, nice to have one in our camp today.

“What do you think? You like it? You guys like it? I mean, I’m biased, so I’m always going to say it’s nice to have them back. I feel like I’ve played on a fair few pitches and a fair few wickets, so I feel like going at tens is probably a good day. So it’s nice to have a little bit of a favour now again.

“And, I mean, I hope the viewer can appreciate, I guess, some of the skill that was on show from both bowling line-ups and some of the batters as well. Just a little bit of a different challenge and hopefully that’s appreciated too,” he added.

Looking at the bigger picture, Jamieson said his stint in the Ford Trophy before the series was aimed at building up his bowling load ahead of the Test series against India and the away series against Australia.

“It’s good. Like, it was kind of just part of, like, that management towards this Test series, and then we’ve obviously got the Aussie series as well. So it was more so trying to find a way to get more than four overs.

“It’s kind of – that doesn’t really help you towards Test cricket. So, it was good to have a little hit out in that Ford Trophy and then roll into this. It’s just kind of all part of, I guess, a broader plan that most guys have to deal with these days with the schedule. It sort of felt like a little bit of a slow burn, sort of trying to just get the game rhythm back under my belt.

“Probably even just mentally, just trying to get over the hurdle of allowing myself to let go and just play with that freedom and not worry about what’s going down at sort of L4, L5 areas. So, I felt like I had a good winter after the UK Test series, and I feel like things are in a pretty good place at the moment,” concluded Jamieson.

--IANS

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