While it remains to be seen as to whether India can put up to all the hype that surrounds the 13-Test home season that the BCCI have put in place, what can be seen clearly twelve hours prior to the game is the surface on which the game will be played and the conditions that surround it. In the team meetings, we have discussed this only.
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Indian Skipper Virat Kohli conceded on Wednesday that India must bat better against spin, as the favourites prepare to take on a unsafe New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur. It has been a strategy that has worked well for them in the past.
The Mohali Test against South Africa last November is a case in point, as the trio shared 19 wickets to rout the Proteas within four days on a slow, turning wicket. New Zealand, which is now on 95 points, will remain at the seventh position with any of these margins with the maximum drop to 91 points in case they lose all the three matches. Nine of the thirteen Tests that he has led is proof of that. “New Zealand have always done really well”. If they think the pitch will start to take turn very early in the game and progressively become more and more hard to bat on, Kohli will nearly definitely want that extra batsman.
Lee, who has played for various T20 leagues across the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), credited the cash-rich IPL for helping Australian cricketers better understand subcontinental conditions. So we have to make sure all bases are covered. We will have to bowl. “They play good, positive cricket, that’s what we have seen in the last couple of years. We are capable of adapting”, he said.
He did not elaborate on what has incited this change but there could be several factors involved.
With the venue not used for a Test since 2009, Rahane is not sure how much it will turn, but feels that Mark Craig, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi will be formidable opponents, and India will try to dominate the conversation.
On a spinning track that will help the home team. Pujara’s stellar showing in the Duleep Trophy, where he hit an unbeaten 256 for India Blue was the main reason for his selection in the squad. On Wednesday, Kohli said work has been done to overcome that. It is an area that we can improve.
VVS Laxman, also known to many as very very special Laxman, the batting legend who made India proud in all the test matches that he played.
“We did not execute our batting plans, but we rectified that”. It is something that we surely need to get stronger at. “We are more than capable of bowling good balls”. After New Zealand, India will host England, Australia and Bangladesh.
“That’s the only way you can go out there, be confident and express yourself”.
Although McCullum has since retired, his successor Kane Williamson is now established as one of the game’s finest batsmen and he has already found form in India, hitting a belligerent half-century in a warm-up last week. “Yes, the formats are different, but I am hoping we can build on from those experiences”, the 26-year-old said.
“And that requires a lot of concentration”. We have to be more watchful and more focussed throughout the day. There is no room for complacency; you can not relax at any stage.
“They will make mistakes at their own pace rather than actually doing mistakes the way you want them to do”.
Dhawan himself has said that competition is good for the Indian team and it will not be a surprise if Rahul gets to open with Murali Vijay. But one good thing we have had is we are coming off a Test series, and we have a long Test season at home.
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It is possible that Kohli isn’t willing to “risk” playing five bowlers keeping India’s fragility against spin in mind.
