With the pitch at Kanpur expected to produce turn, Kohli will go in with three spinners and it will be interesting to see if they stick to the five-bowler theory of late. The wicket looks different to the Delhi wicket (where they played a warm-up match).
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“We believe we certainly have what it takes to be the best team in the world”, Kohli said.
“We expect very good competition and hard fought cricket”. The South African team did not blow the pitch issue out of proportion in 2015, and both New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and coach Hesson are not trying to play up the pitch excuse. “There was so much focus on playing overseas that we kept focussing on (playing) pace bowling and didn’t pay too much attention to spin”.
Cheteshwar Pujara, the man anointed as No 3, is trying to get back into the fold and give a good account of himself after redemption at domestic level.
However, what came as a surprise was India’s concerns over spin, owing to their decreasing comfort against it. If these batsmen score runs freely, New Zealand will find it tough.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be leading the Indian bowling attack while Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson is the star batting attraction for the visitors.
“[It is] because we wanted to go out there and play bold cricket and take some risks”. Had it not been for a rained-off final Test against West Indies, he could well have led India to a year-ending number one Test ranking.
Murali Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami.
India will have an extended season that will comprise 17 Tests.
Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev will be among the icons celebrating India’s 500th Test in Kanpur this week as Virat Kohli’s team begin their quest to regain the top spot in the world rankings against a unsafe New Zealand. And in terms of our preparations, we have spent a lot of time focusing on preparing to play spinners, and how to respond to playing spinners.
The team played its first ever Test when it was a British colony in 1932 but over the years, has established itself as a force in world cricket. We have been able to get that. “So the important thing is to continue the same”. The team is yet to lose a series under Kohli.
But they can’t afford to be complacent after their stunning defeat by New Zealand at the start of the World Twenty20 in March.
Hailing India’s Test side as “well-balanced”, the 39-year-old said India seriously looks to be the superior side on paper with a strong batting line-up.
“We’ve really focussed on scoring, not being defensive, because sooner or later, if you’re stuck at an end for a length of time one [delivery] will have your name on it”. It’s something that lot of young players can lack coming into global cricket – there can be a lot of insecurities, like “Whether I’ll play in the next game or whether my position is secure or not”. They have got great footwork, they get forward, they get back, they come down the wicket.
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New Zealand face India in Kanpur tomorrow before heading to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens for the second Test on September 30. And that’s what this team has done.
