"It helped me grow my game" - Kyle Jamieson explains how IPL experience aided him heading into India vs New Zealand Test series

New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson has admitted that playing in the IPL ahead of the Test series against India definitely benefited him despite the formats being contrasting in nature.

Jamieson (3/47) was the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers on Day 1 of the Kanpur Test. He dismissed Mayank Agarwal (13), Shubman Gill (52) and Ajinkya Rahane (35) to restrict India to 145 for 4. An unbeaten century stand between debutant Shreyas Iyer (75*) and Ravindra Jadeja (50*) lifted India to 258 for 4 at stumps.

Asked if playing in the IPL helped Jamieson prepare for the series in any way, the tall pacer asserted that it did. Speaking at a press conference at the end of Day 1, he explained:

“Obviously, it (IPL) is a very different format but I got experience of some of the conditions over here. I also got to experience India as a whole. Anytime you get different experiences that you can learn from, it definitely helps your game, regardless of the country or the leagues. It helped me grow my game and gave me lessons that have been good enough to take on board moving into the series.”

The Kanpur game is the first instance of Jamieson bowling in a Test match in Asia. Asked if he made any specific adjustments to prepare for the challenge, the Kiwi pacer replied that it was more about working on the mental side. He said:

“No, not a huge amount (of changes). From a mental perspective, I probably tried to get my head around not trying to change my game. I was pretty lucky to have guys like Tim (Southee) and Wags (Neil Wagner). For me, it was about taking my game and slightly adjusting to what was put in front of us.”

Jamieson and Tim Southee were picked as the two pacers for the Kanpur Test, while Neil Wagner was left out.

“There was a little bit of variable bounce” - Kyle Jamieson

Jamieson stated that there was a hint of variable bounce on Day 1. Asked if the somewhat uneven nature of the surface helped his bowling, the 26-year-old pointed out:

“There was a little bit of variable bounce. Don’t think it was a huge amount. We didn’t see it throughout every spell that the balls were going up and down. The odd one did stay a little bit low but I didn’t see the actual difference on the whole. You just have to try and hang in around there. When pitches are the way they are, you kind of try to bang around the off-stump, where it can get a little bit up and down.”

Apart from Jamieson, Southee (1/43) was the only other bowler to take a wicket for New Zealand on the day as all three spinners went wicketless. Backing the slow bowlers, Jamieson stated:

“I don’t think there was a lot of assistance for them. We haven’t seen balls turn big or go low or spit. So all those would probably come into the match as the game goes on. On Day 1, they wasn’t a huge amount of help for them.”

New Zealand’s three spinners, Ajaz Patel, William Somerville and Rachin Ravindra, sent down a combined 52 overs in which they went for 166 runs.