India vs New Zealand: Trent Boult says Hagley Oval pitch will offer more assistance to seamers than Basin Reserve Track

Christchurch: Senior New Zealand pacer Trent Boult on Friday said he expects the green top at the Hagley Oval to be more conducive for his brand of swing bowling compared to the Basin Reserve track where they thrashed India by 10 wickets in the opening Test. Boult took four Indian wickets in the second innings including, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli. [caption id=“attachment_8099061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] New Zealand’s Trent Boult celebrates the dismissal of India’s Ajinkya Rahane during the first Test between India and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. AP[/caption] “…it’s probably better (than bowling at the Basin). The Basin generally turns into a very nice batting surface. There’s a lot of runs been scored there both in domestic and international cricket,” Boult said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the second Test here. “Here’s a slightly different story,” Boult said referring to the Christchurch strip. “You are not battling the wind first of all. The overheads are there and it’s generally a nice place to pitch the ball up and get it swinging around. “So we do enjoy coming here as a bowling unit. Hopefully, we can continue that over the next couple of days,” he added. The green top here naturally excites any quick bowler and Boult is no exception. “It’s pretty exciting. Traditionally, you come down here, you normally see a bit of grass. From my point of view, I will be happy to see it stays like that and the ball moving around,” he said. Boult also gave indications that Kyle Jamieson, after his match-winning all-round performance at the Basin, will be preferred over left-arm orthodox bowler Ajaz Patel. “If we look at the record here from specifically New Zealand spinners, there haven’t been too many wickets taken by spinners.” “If that suggests there isn’t much turn or they haven’t bowled, I am not too sure, but generally it’s a good wicket that has good pace and carry,” he said. “I know it swings around here a bit and it is generally a good wicket, a good contest between the bat and ball. That’s what we are going to expect.”