This Pune Test beginning on Thursday won’t be the first time India go into a game after losing the series opener. This year itself, they lost the opening game against England, before winning rest of the four to clinch the series.
The ongoing series against New Zealand is a three-match one, and losing the second Test would deny India a chance to secure yet another home series. It would also costthem a few more World Test Championship points. So, from that perspective, the stakes are higher for Rohit Sharma and Co.
However, these are the conditions Team India cricketers have grown up playing in and would certainly back themselves to bring out their A-game after being stung in Bengaluru. Besides, the black-soil pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, being a slow turner, is set to assist spinners as the Test progresses. It’s quite obvious India’s spinners would feel more at ease on such a surface than their New Zealand counterparts.
The Indian team management must be quite relieved seeing that “typical Indian wicket”, as head coach Gautam Gambhir called it. Particularly, after those dreadful two to three hours of their first innings at the Chinnaswamy.
India, though, aren’t predicting anything about the pitch. “Yes, we feel the wicket is going to be a typical Indian wicket. We back our bowlers to do the job and our batters to get runs on this wicket. But again, I think till thetime the game starts, we can’t predict how the wicket is going to behave,” Gambhir saidon Wednesday.
Conditions aside, team combination is a poser for India going into this game. The XI will be finalised beforethe toss on Thursday, Gambhir said, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant fit and all set to play.
That’s the only bit confirmed. As for the rest, it won’t be much of a surprise if off-spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar — picked after the first Test — replaces chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav.
Sundar’s inclusion in the squad and prospects of making the XI are purely to counter New Zealand’s left-handers and give India “more control in the middle”.
Sarfaraz or KL?
The most pertinent question remains: Who gets the nod between Bengaluru centurion Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul? Despite his struggle in Bengaluru, Rahul seems to have the head coach’s backing.
“KL is batting really well, had a decent knock in Kanpur (against Bangladesh) on a difficult wicket. I am sure he would be knowing he has to score big, and he has the capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team. Ultimately, everyone is judged. International cricket is all about being judged,” Gambhir pointed out.
