Wagner v Kohli
Virat Kohli was dismissed in the first innings of the first Test while attempting a flashing cover drive off Kyle Jamieson. While the Indian captain has scored a lot of runs through this shot in Test cricket, he has also been out while playing the cover drive 25 times. With those sort of stats, if you are looking for sports betting tips on how is going to be out in the next Test , look no further than caught.
In the second innings, after being set up with the wide of off stump delivery, he tried to pull a steeply rising delivery from trent Boult. This is exactly the mode of dismissal which is the bread and butter of Neil Wagner and rest assured that he won't be trying anything but this.
"Every team I play against I always try and target and go for their best players, because you know what a big stride it makes within a team when you get their best players out," Wagner said in the lead up to the Test. "Drying him up, making sure they don't score and putting a lot of pressure on him from both ends [is imperative]."
Wagner has dismissed Kohli thrice in six innings in Test cricket, bowling 108 balls to him and conceding 60 runs at an average of 20.00.
Southee v Shaw
Playing his third Test and the first away from home, opening batsman Prithvi Shaw was very loose in the Wellington Test. Especially, in the first innings, when the ball was hooping around corners, Shaw was dismissed while trying an on-drive off a delivery from Tim Southee that pitched on middle and knocked his off peg back. While it was a peach of a delivery and would have created troubles for any batsman around the world, the problem was with the manner in which Shaw chose to counter it on the morning of the first Test and that too in swinging conditions.
While he was dismissed off a short delivery aimed at his body in the second innings, it would be the nagging in-swingers and out-singers from Tim Southee off virtually the same spot which can bring about the dismissal of the Mumbai batsman in the Christchurch Test.
Boult v Agarwal
Mayank Agrawal looked by far the best Indian batsman in the first Test. He saw through the entire first session on the morning of the opening day in Wellington when the conditions were the toughest for batting. However, just after lunch, it was a lapse in concentration which brought about his dismissal in what was essentially a limited-overs shot.
Agarwal tried to pull a shortish ball from Trent Boult over the fine leg boundary and was holed out. While he was strangled down the leg side in the second innings, it was the short ball trap which led to his dismissal essentially. With Boult back in rhythm with a few overs under his belt, it would be interesting to see how the Indian opener tackles the short ball barrage from the southpaw.
Bumrah v Williamson
It is not as if Jasprit Bumrah hasn't click in New Zealand at all. In fact, he had a fine outing in the T20Is which India clean swept 5-0. Bumrah returned with figures of 1/20 and 3/12 in the last two T20Is but it was Kane Williamson who tackled him the best.
The Kiwi captain seems to have found out a pattern which Bumrah likes to stick to and hence, he has been effective against the slinger. In the Wellington Test as well, apart from a couple of deliveries which bounced awkwardly, Kane Williamson looked at ease against Bumrah.
The fact that the pacer likes to keep it short of length and that is the area which Williamson favours the most is also an added advantage for Williamson. But, knowing Bumrah, he would have thought long and hard and will come up with a plan against the Kiwi skipper in the Christchurch Test. Something to look forward to, for sure.