Ross Taylor becomes first player to achieve huge milestone
Ross Taylor became the first cricketer to play 100 games in all three formats of cricket.
New Zealand veteran Ross Taylor achieved a huge milestone in international cricket when he took the field on Day 1 of the first Test against India in Wellington on Friday. The right-hander, who is playing his 100th Test, became the first cricketer in history to play 100 games in all three formats. The 35-year-old recently played his 100th T20I against India in January, and he has also played 231 ODIs for the Kiwis.
Speaking on the achievement, Taylor said: "Really excited about the occasion. It's not a great sign when you wake up in the morning and there's some rain around. Ian Smith said a few words at an event last night, and it was very nice for the team and the family to experience something they might never do again."
He added: "I'll need some help drinking (the hundred bottles of wine), but they can be stored for a while. It keeps the tradition from Fleming, Brendon (McCullum) and Dan(iel Vettori) who all played over a hundred Tests each and hopefully we can celebrate this one with a win."
Meanwhile, India were asked to bat first after New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl. Speaking about his decision, the right-hander said: "We're gonna have a bowl. It's still a bit soft. We've seen in the past that there is often a green tinge. We need to bowl well upfront. Mitchell is the one to miss out. It's a bit soft on the top."
Kohli, at the toss, admitted that he would have made the same choice, considering the nature of Wellington pitch on the first day. "We would have also bowled first. It's a no-brainer on day one, gonna be overcast all day. That said, the pitch looks better than it was two days ago with a lot of the grass taken off. Still need to bat well."
The visitors meanwhile made some huge calls in the playing XI, dropping Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha, to make way for R Ashwin and Rishabh Pant. Pant's successful record in Australia last year, perhaps, led to India making this choice in the team's selection.