3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs NZ Test series 2024 ft. Jasprit Bumrah vs Kane Williamson
India will take on New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match bilateral series between the two teams at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, starting on Wednesday, October 16.
The other two Tests in the series will be played in Pune and Mumbai. India come into the series on the back of a stunning 2-0 win over Bangladesh while the Kiwis were recently thrashed 0-2 by Sri Lanka.
While the hosts have a sizeable advantage over their opponents in the series, New Zealand are anything but predictable. They are known to come good in clutch situations and deliver when their fans expect them to do so the most.
As is the case during any big series, a lot of individual battles will go on alongside the big one between the teams. In this listicle, we take a look at three key individual player battles to watch out for in this series:
#1 Virat Kohli vs Ajaz Patel
One of the biggest battles in this series will be between Virat Kohli and New Zealand's left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. The latter became renowned after he picked up all 10 Indian wickets in the Mumbai Test in 2021.
Kohli averages a handy 67 against left-arm spin in Tests, and will be keen on extending his dominance over Patel as well. However, the latter knows how to bowl in the right areas consistently.
Patel arrives in this series with a scintillating six-wicket haul against Sri Lanka (6-90) in the first Test in Galle. He will hope to spin a web against the Indian batters on the placid pitches of Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai.
#2 Rohit Sharma vs Tim Southee
New Zealand seamer Tim Southee, who stepped down as the side's captain after the 0-2 drubbing they received at the hands of Sri Lanka in September earlier this year, will be up against India skipper Rohit Sharma with the new ball in this series.
Sharma has bagged just 46 runs against Southee in the five innings that he has played against him in the past, and like most batters, is susceptible to seam movement and swing when the ball is new and conditions favor the bowlers.
Southee will be keen on bringing all his experience to the fore in this series and hope to get the better of Sharma by forcing him to play false shots. The Kiwi's lack of pace may even elicit some response from the Indian skipper, who likes to feel the pace of the ball early on in his innings.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah vs Kane Williamson
Perhaps the biggest battle in this series will be the one between India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Kiwi batter Kane Williamson. The latter, who relinquished the captaincy to Tim Southee a while ago, has already amassed 618 runs this year.
Williamson will be keen on piling up as many runs as possible in this series in his quiet, understated way, and Bumrah's job will be to prevent that from happening. The latter's inswinging yorkers and off-cutters are quite challenging to handle in any conditions.
However, the Kiwi will not be available for selection in the first Test as he is recovering from a groin strain at home and is yet to join the squad. India will heave a sigh of relief but will know that once he joins the team, they cannot put a foot wrong.
Williamson is one of the greatest batters of this generation, and India will have to deal with him carefully. They cannot afford to antagonise him by bowling into his strengths and allow him to capitalise and build big innings.