“It’s really important, every run out there counts and I guess I’m still at the crease now so my job is to try and put 10, 15, 20 whatever I can on the board because I know that getting those 10, 15, 20 could be hard work at the back end of that other innings.”
Ajaz also pointed out another trend that’s been seen over the course of this Test match. “I think if we have seen the pattern in terms of the wicket, I guess, over the last couple of days, in the morning it probably doesn’t do as much as the afternoon.”
There were three wickets in the first session of day one, and 11 thereafter. Similarly, there was one wicket in the morning on day two and 14 thereafter.
“Whether that’s due to the rolling or whether that’s due to the heat and the wicket drying up throughout the day, I’m unsure,” Ajaz said. “So it’ll be interesting to see how that wicket plays tomorrow morning, whether it kind of reacts the same way or whether it’s a little bit different. So yeah it’s certainly I guess in the morning if it’s not doing as much, trying to bat as long as possible so that we can wait for it to dry out and start turning again.”
Whatever target that is put in front of them, India are backing themselves to get it.
“And then when you know, even for the fielding team, once there is a 70-80 run partnership, even when we saw today, then when you are chasing 150, the body language of the opposition also drops.”
Sunday dawns with one team pushing for a historic whitewash and the other desperate to re-establish their winning ways.