Indian pacer Auqib Nabi has revealed the advice he received from veteran batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma about bowling in New Zealand conditions ahead of the fourth ODI against the hosts.
Nabi said the two senior batters advised him to focus on scrambled seam and hitting the deck hard rather than relying heavily on swing. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer is playing his first series in New Zealand.
Dar went wicketless in the series opener and conceded 33 runs in six overs he bowled. He didn’t have the rub of the green on his side as Naman Dhir dropped simple catch and gave one more life to Tim Seifert. However, the fast bowler bounced back strongly in the second match, taking two wickets of Will Young and Tim Seifert.
“Actually, this is my first time putting a ball in New Zealand. So, it is a little different here. Here, you have to depend more on the seam movement. Because the top-level batsmen play swing. So, that was their feedback (the trio),” Nabi said.
The fast bowler said he likes to back his skills in the domestic circuit while playing for Jammu and Kashmir.
“Obviously, if you have the pace, it’s very good. But my skill, I back that. I have done well in domestic cricket. Here, I have come on skill. if there is pace, it is a plus factor. But I back my skill. What I did well in domestic cricket will be useful here as well,” he added.
Earlier, the pacer made a tough ODI debut as he conceded 84 runs in 8.5 overs he bowled against the West Indies. Dar will be seen in action in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, which will be played on Friday.
