India will think of setting New Zealand a target only after getting enough “back-up runs” on the final day of the ICC World Test Championsh...
India will think of setting New Zealand a target only after getting enough “back-up runs” on the final day of the ICC World Test Championship final, senior pacer Mohammed Shami said on Tuesday, hinting that the team would adopt a safety first approach.
India were 64/2 at stumps on the fifth day with a 32-run lead. Skipper Virat Kohli and the seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara were at the crease.
“We have lost a lot of time due to rain. So there is no discussion as such on a total. We have just started our second innings and we need to put runs on the board,” Shami, who got four wickets in New Zealand’s first innings, said at the press conference after the fifth day’s play.
“We have to score as many as possible and then see how much time is left to put them in and decide accordingly. In conditions like England, anything can happen but we simply can’t have a pre-plan in mind that we can get them out in these many overs. You need time to get 10 wickets and some solid plans in place. But first, we need to have enough back-up runs,” said Shami.
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