The multiple duties of a captain and an all-rounder have begun to wear down Daniel Vettori, who today said the workload is a challenge as he gears up to save New Zealand from a humiliating series defeat against India in the second Test starting here tomorrow.
The multiple duties of a captain and an all-rounder have begun to wear down Daniel Vettori, who today said the workload is a challenge as he gears up to save New Zealand from a humiliating series defeat against India in the second Test starting here tomorrow.
"Physically I am fine. Mentally, it is always the tough thing. The workload of being a captain and an all-rounder can sometimes challenge you. While enjoying a lot of responsibility, you need that little break sometimes," Vettori, whose team trails 0-1 in the three-match series, said here.
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"In a lot of ways, not being a captain in the IPL side will give me that opportunity to go back and play. Once we get ready for that T20 World Cup again, it will be pretty exciting. But I am not saying I am not excited about this (captaincy) challenge as well," added Vettori.
The 30-year-old player has been under immense pressure as the New Zealand fans have been demanding a spirited performance from the Blackcaps.
"They want results, just like we want results. They probably need to see the New Zealand team to come out and fight. The performance we put together in Hamilton wasn't consistent," said Vettori.
But for New Zealand's fortunes to change, Vettori said he knows his team would have to produce something extraordinary in the remainder of the series.
"We need to bat for long periods of time. We need batsmen to bat at least 120-odd overs against this lot (Indians) because if we don't do that we don't give our bowlers an opportunity to rest. We know we have got a quality batting line-up, but we we need to improve the longevity of our innings.
"The onus is on the top six batters to do the job. If they do the job then Brendon (McCullum) and I can complement that." Vettori said India have executed their plans brilliantly to gain the upper-hand in the series.
"They played to a plan and won every key moment. Every element that we weren't good in, they were really great. They seem like a team that works pretty well with momentum, and just keep rolling with it. We need to reverse that pretty quickly," said Vettori.
To achieve that, Vettori said he would be banking on off-spinner Jeetan Patel. "We would lean towards Jeetan playing, in place of Kyle Mills. He got five wickets last time he played here, so we are hoping for a repeat of that." But Vettori wasn't sure of Daniel Flynn playing tomorrow.
"He will have a fitness test. We want to see how he fronts up. But his hand is still swollen. He is a tough little guy and wants to play. But we will make a sensible decision revolving around that."
Though much has been said and written about the Mclean Park's 'relocated' wicket, Vettori said it didn't seem any different from the tracks he has played on before.
"It comes across pretty similar to a normal Napier wicket. Aesthetically, it is not quite as pretty as it normally is, and doesn't have the consistency of grass cover. But talking to Phil (grounds man), he is pretty comfortable and thinks it will be a traditional Napier track."
Vettori said his side was not just wary of in-form batsmen like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, it also saw a huge threat in Harbhajan Singh, who claimed six wickets in the Kiwis second innings at Hamilton.
"The key to Harbhajan's success was how consistent he was in that second innings. He didn't really get it to turn a lot but put the ball in the right spot and got a couple to bounce. Most of the guys are picking him, but it is a matter of playing him from there," he said.
"I think it is the most difficult part of playing when a guy puts the ball consistently in the right spot with variations. The guys have talked about it, particularly the left-handers. I think the right-handers played him relatively well", Vettori said.
"A lot of thought has gone into how to tackle Harbhajan. I think you can still play him by turning the strike over, I always thought the key thing against spinners is the singles as it frustrate them. Being a spinner I know pretty well. So we are trying to do that more and unsettle him," he added.
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