Ross Taylor close-mouthed on tackling R Ashwin; says 'I will not give my secrets away'

New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has remained tight-lipped on his plans to tackle ace Indian spinner R Ashwin. When asked by the media about his preparations and plans to tackle R Ashwin, he said “I don't want to give my secrets away just here. I don't know what line-up India decides to go with. Axar Patel played a big role against England. Now (whether) they are going to play three spinners or two spinners, obviously, Ashwin will be one of them. They are very good bowlers, especially in these conditions, and how we will play them will play a big part in how the series is going to go.”

He further added that in a tour of India, spin plays a key part and that he could use the slog sweep shot against the spinners while adding that they will have to prepare themselves to even face the quality seamers in the line-up. "Fast bowling still remains a main element with the new ball and reverse swing. But spin more often plays a big part over here, so we could be naive if we assume only spin will play a key part. We still gonna have to face a quality seam bowling lineup and reverse swing. I think we should also be worried about that but spin is gonna play a big proportion of how we will be going to play the Test. You have to put some pressure back on the bowlers. If I get the opportunity, I could bring back the slog sweep shot every now and then,” the New Zealand batter added interacting with the media.

When you play India in India, you're going to be the underdogs: Ross Taylor

Despite having won the World Test Championship final and coming into this series as the No.1 Test team currently, Ross Taylor feels that playing in India at home is always a challenge "We've gone so many years as underdogs. But now coming in as champions: I guess the element of surprise is gone. But any time you play India at home you're going to be the underdogs, whether you're No. 1 in the world or where they sit in international cricket at the time. They are resting a couple of players but they're still a formidable side and know these conditions really well." 

"The way we adapt to these conditions is going to be the key going forward. Some of the guys have played many a time here before. We'll be looking forward to hopefully use that experience to make things slightly easier but we know it's going to be tough."

Image: AP