England skipper Alastair Cook said Wednesday his spinners were running high on confidence and could turn the tables on top-tanked India if a turning track was offered in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. England's raw spin trio of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari shared 13 wickets between them to force the mighty Indians on the backfoot in the drawn first Test in Rajkot. Leg-spinner Rashid led the charge with seven wickets as the hosts held on to a tense draw after losing six quick wickets on the final afternoon. On the same track, India's famed spin attack struggled, with the world No. 1 bowler Ravichandran Ashwin returning a dismal 3-230 — his worst bowling figures at home since December 2012. Indian captain Virat Kohli who had criticized the presence of grass on the Rajkot wicket, is expecting turn in Visakhapatnam, which is set to host its first Test ever. "It's a wicket where spinners will find it really nice to bowl on and expect the same going into the game," said Kohli. "We want to focus on our strengths and play the cricket that we have as a team at home and put the pressure on the opposition." Kohli also demanded better catching from his fielders after they let England off the hook on the opening morning of the drawn series opener in Rajkot. Kiwis set for Pakistan clash Pakistan and New Zealand both claimed the high ground on the eve of Thursday's first Test in Christchurch, with the Black Caps drawing inspiration from Brendon McCullum's classic farewell innings. Just days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the city and devastated parts of the South Island, Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq looked to cash in on a perceived lack of confidence in the New Zealand ranks after its disastrous tour of India, where it suffered a series whitewash. But although Pakistan is on a high after crushing the West Indies last month, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson claimed his side was rejuvenated by returning to home conditions and familiar seamer-friendly wickets. After being flummoxed by Indian spin in all three Tests in October, Williamson said New Zealand's challenge was to pick themselves up. "It's important when you come off the back of that India tour, which was extremely tough, that we still come back here and play with freedom, express our skills. When we do we play our best cricket," he said. New Zealand, which has not won a series against Pakistan since 1985, will delay finalizing its side as late as possible although it has been confirmed opener Jeet Raval will make his debut. Misbah said the Pakistan line-up was already confirmed but he was giving nothing away before the toss other than to say seamer-friendly conditions would not hinder them. They played in similar conditions in their drawn series against England earlier this year. "That experience is really going to help us here, because of the kind of confidence we gained from that," Misbah said. Pakistan has their own motivation, having lost its top world ranking and Misbah said they were keen to get it back and despite New Zealand pitches not being renowned for taking turn, his ace remained spinner Yasir Shah.
