Daniel Vettori sent down as many as 139 overs, 45 of them maiden, in the two Tests against India. That, 139, is the total number of overs Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Ian Butler and Craig McMillan bowled among them.
Though he managed to take just five wickets in the series, Vettori managed to dry up the runs and make life difficult for the Indian batsmen in their own backyard, something he says was his brief for the tour.
Considered one of the finest left-arm spinners today, the bespectacled Vettori, who made his Test debut at the age of 18, is, however, more happy with his batting than his bowling on the tour.
In an exclusive interview with Faisal Shariff, Vettori analysed the Test series and rated India as the toughest place anywhere in the world to bowl. Excerpts:
Have you achieved what you set out to when you arrived in India for the Test series?
Batting was very good. With regards to my bowling, I think I bowled well, but you have to take wickets and I would have liked to take some more wickets. I put pressure and picked wickets, but I would have liked to take wickets. I think I did a reasonable job and am happy with my overall performance.
You just spoke about exerting pressure on batsmen to get them out. Why is important to create pressure rather than to attack and pick wickets?
I am different from [Muthiah] Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh in the sense that they attack. They are exceptional with what they do. I have a few stock deliveries. I don't have too much variety, so I have to try them and try creating pressure. Batsmen these days are extremely attacking and play spin very well with so much one-day cricket.
It's a two-sided coin really. You want to attack, but you realise how good guys are these days, so you have to pull back and try and dry up the runs.
Is the team happy with its performance in the Tests?
We wanted to win the series badly. In Ahmedabad we were on the back foot. We came to Mohali and dominated the Test. We had a chance of winning on the last day. We wanted to win the series, but to get a draw is a reasonable result. We would have liked to win, though.
Are you unhappy that New Zealand's best is not good enough to win the Test series in India?
It is a tough question. The way the ICC Test Championship is structured, a team must win at home and draw or win away. We have come away with a little of that plan. We beat India 2-0 in New Zealand in tough conditions.
In India the talk was that India would win the series. We drew it and were in with a chance to win on the last day. We were on top for most of the Test. If you take both series (In India and New Zealand) together, we were the better team in the Test matches.
Is it important to take advantage of home conditions?
It is a tough one to answer. With the Test championships, you have to work any way possible to work up the ladder. If you want to be the best like Australia you have to compete in every single condition that is put upon you. If you play only in one condition you will be great at that, but then you will never be able to perform well in different conditions. There should be some advantage for the home team. So much is expected of it. [But] if you want to go ahead of the middle of the table you have to adapt and changes have to be made at home so they don't suit you too much.
Which is a greater challenge, bowling in India or Sri Lanka?
India is a tougher challenge. India is always hard to bowl. Wickets you bowl on are flat and the batsmen you bowl to are fantastic. You look at Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, and they put the fear in you at times.
How would you rate the Indian batsmen?
Sachin is the world's best. And it is not a hollow statement. He has proven himself everywhere. The true test of a player is to play in any condition and excel. He's done that consistently. Dravid is much the same.
Ganguly hasn't done as well outside India as he would have liked. But when he comes into his own he is the toughest to bowl to. He is brilliant against the spinners. But Sachin is the toughest.
Laxman is great. He set India up for victory in Ahmedabad with his knocks. He is fantastic. He has done well against the Aussies. Laxman will excel in Australia.
When New Zealand travelled to Australia in 2001, the batsmen's strategy was to leave Glenn McGrath alone and milk the other bowlers. What were the plans for the Indians?
We tried to create pressure by drying up the runs. The thing in India is that you get the four ball a lot with the quick outfield and batting tracks. So you need to have specific plans for everyone. Say, for example, Sehwag was susceptible at third man because he scored a lot of runs there. We wanted to dry people from scoring runs. We could create pressure from that. We tried; at times it worked, at other times it didn't.
Former Kiwi coach Dennis Aberhart said the Kiwis had picked Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh as the weak links of the Australian team in 2001.
I would never call the Waugh brothers the weak links of the Aussie team. We had plans for them and we managed to bowl them and they came off. We planned well. We did it for a lot of guys. We worked out the middle order a lot and it worked for us. I would never say they were the weak links.
When McGrath came to India he worked hard to get used to the conditions. He switched off the air-conditioning to acclimatise himself. Did you do any freaky preparations?
We went to Brisbane and tried to get the same temperatures and humidity levels. The batsmen worked on getting to play with crowd distractions.
But I believe it is the mindset more than anything. Most of us knew what to expect and that worked for us. They can adapt a little bit better.
I did very small preparation. I knew I had to be consistent to do well here.
Don't you think it is a time where world bowling is at its worst?
Purely from a spinner's perspective, you look around world cricket and you see three or four of the finest spinners who have ever played the game.
Look at Shane Warne, Muralitharan, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Saqlain Mushtaq. For anyone to say that standards are declining is harsh. This lot of spinners is fantastic and their records speak for themselves. It is a cycle where the spinners are dominating the fast bowlers.
Has it helped being a left-arm spinner, with 70 per cent of the batsmen being right-handers?
It does give you the edge. Coming in from New Zealand from where we don't have guys who take the ball away from the bat, it is an advantage.
It will continue to be because we don't have a culture of spinners coming up.
How do you plan to recalibrate yourself for the one-dayers?
I think the batters will start slogging us more. There will be big scores, great batting tracks, and the challenge will be for bowlers.
Who can outbat teams will win games. I don't think it will be too much for the bowlers. I will mix and go back to curbing the runs as much as possible.
Is it just great form or are you seriously working towards being an all-rounder?
I know I have some talent with the bat. I have done well at times. I have worked hard with Stephen Fleming. I hope this is the start of something half decent.
Do you think New Zealand batsmen play in tougher conditions at home than any other side?
We should add another 4-5 runs on the averages of Kiwi batsmen. You saw how tough it is to play on Kiwi tracks. The conditions just help fast bowlers. If you see their records in India our batsmen have 50 plus in the Indian Test series.
Is this ideal preparation for the Indian team before they embark on the Australian tour?
You have got Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman who can play well. Young guys like Akash Chopra will find it tough after playing on these kinds of tracks. The bowlers will find it tough too. With the attacking nature of the Aussie batters, the bowlers will have to settle in soon. The main core of the Indian batting will do well in Australia.
Any advice?
Set defensive fields and have a couple of men catching around the bat.
Do you think the novelty of world records is fading with records being set against teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe?
I don't think the quality of records is diminishing. The records set are so high that to get there is an achievement in itself. Look at Matthew Hayden. The way he batted was fantastic. You can't take it away from him. His record is so good that it will be great irrespective of whom you score it against. If you look back they will be good. A record is a record.
