NEW DELHI: New Zealand find themselves just 107 runs short of securing a rare Test victory on Indian soil, but pacer William O’Rourke cautioned against complacency despite the seemingly achievable target. The Kiwi bowlers, led by O’Rourke and Matt Henry, who shared six wickets between them, managed to dismiss India for 462 in their second innings.
In the post-day press conference, O’Rourke emphasized: “I wouldn’t say it’s an easy win from here.We’ve got a world-class team going up against us. But we’ve got to be confident going out there tomorrow.”
He also expressed hope that the weather would cooperate, allowing them a chance to chase down the target.
“Hopefully, for our sake the rain stays away and we get a chance to have a crack at it,” he added.
O’Rourke, who is on his first tour of India, has enjoyed the experience so far, particularly due to the pace and bounce offered by the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch.
He highlighted the dismissal of Virat Kohli in the first innings, where he got the star batter to jab at a steep bouncer, resulting in a catch to Glenn Phillips at gully.
“It’s obviously pretty special getting someone so great, one of the greats of our game, out like that. Obviously, you grow up watching those guys. So, to come here and take that wicket, it’s probably right up there,” O’Rourke remarked.
The young pacer acknowledged the pressure put on the Kiwis by Sarfaraz Khan (150) and Rishabh Pant (99), who added 177 runs for the fourth wicket.
However, he credited the second new ball for helping them gain some momentum, with Tim Southee getting the breakthrough by dismissing Sarfaraz, followed by O’Rourke’s dismissal of Pant.
“I’ve been pretty hot and cold with the ball. Pant and Sarfaraz have batted very well for a long time, but that second new ball started doing a little bit for us.
“So, good to Timmy (Southee) getting that first breakthrough (Sarfaraz) and then lucky enough to get a chop (Pant) there to sort of give us a bit of momentum going through,” he noted.
O’Rourke also expressed gratitude towards his mentor, Kyle Jamieson, who is currently recovering from a back stress fracture.
“Kyle’s been a bit in the background. So, learning from him and, obviously, he’s had a hell of a start to his international career and he’s one of the best bowlers in the world,” he said.
