It will also be the 500th Test for India, who made their debut as a Test cricket playing nation against England in 1932.
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There is no better place like home if a team is looking to get back to the top of the rankings, and India will relish the home conditions.
Kanpur has always been a happy hunting ground for India.
It will be a top test for the young captains of both India and New Zealand, who have been given the leadership roles for their respective nations. Not among India’s prime Test centres, BCCI’s rotation policy got them India’s 500th Test match. However, they now head India for a stiff challenge. That’s why we’ve been able to win seven-odd Test matches in the last 13 or 14 that we played.
The spin-friendly track will help them too but the way they were handled by the Mumbai batsmen in Kotla game, the visiting team spinners are unlikely to trouble the strong home batting line-up.
Kumble said while conditions will certainly favour India, touring sides are much more used to what lies in store. India have no reason to lose and that will be their biggest reason to win. Rahul is likely to replace Shikhar Dhawan. “So it’s a right balance of putting the bowler under pressure and at the same time respecting the good balls that he bowls”, Kohli said at the press conference. What has happened is that there was so much being built up about us not being able to play well away from home that we kept focusing on playing fast bowling, and we got really good at it. 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.
“That’s what the boys have been working on and it’s been going really good”.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson gave a knowing smile at the pre-match media conference, which only added fuel to the speculation that had surfaced after Ashwin’s visit to the central square. Martin Guptill has repeatedly failed to replicate his limited-overs heroics, yet he has been given another chance to perform. Martin Guptill retained his spot as opener alongside Tom Latham. Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell and Neil Wagner will contend for the pace slots after Tim Southee’s injury ruled him out.
The tourists do have Mitchell Santner, the left-arm spinner who wreaked havoc against India in ICC T20 World Cup 2016 earlier this year. But, with time, and also the transformation in the mindset of Indian cricket and the game itself, the conditions have also seen a massive change. Green Park’s chief curator Shiv Kumar is on record saying that the “turn won’t be alarming” but the cracks, on evidence of the picture, are deep enough for thick five rupee coins to sink in. In complete contrast, India have not lost a Test this year and have won nine out of their 10 Tests at home.
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“Conditions in India are quite oppressive, particularly with the heat and humidity.when you are batting its hard to concentrate when you are dripping wet all the time and we tend to struggle facing quality spin bowling and we are going to be exposed to that so quite frankly we’re up against it”, he said. BJ Watling has been solid in the lower middle order while Mitchell Santner, Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi are all capable accumulators apart from being NZ’s best spin ensemble to visit the subcontinent in recent years.
