3 things India need to do right to beat New Zealand in the 1st Test ft. the Rohit Sharma-led batting approach
Team India will face off against New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from Wednesday, October 16. Rohit Sharma and Co. are currently the
favorites to reach the final of the ongoing World Test Championship.
India have eight games remaining in the league stage of the World Test Championship, three against New Zealand and five against Australia. They currently need three wins to guarantee their birth in the final. The Kiwis, meanwhile, are nowhere in the hunt.
India’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
While they're not under too much points pressure, India will still need to be at their best against a determined opposition. On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat New Zealand in the first Test.
#3 India shouldn't let the Bangladesh series affect their style of play too much
We saw an incredible passage of cricket unfold in the second Test between India and Bangladesh. With rain nearly forcing a draw, the host needed to bat at a scary tempo to attempt to secure a result. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal led the way, smacking a series of boundaries off the new ball to give India a chance.
Rohit and his men eventually managed to seal the result and a 2-0 series win. However, India cannot be carried away by the manner in which that game unfolded and need to stick to their basics against a much stronger opponent in New Zealand.
Apart from Rishabh Pant, most of India's players have achieved success in Test cricket by playing attritionally, even Rohit and Jaiswal. With New Zealand's pacers unlikely to give them much leeway, they need to trust their defense and get through the tough passages of play by being resolute and patient.
#2 Rohit Sharma should be wary of a New Zealand counter-attack
Towards the end of September, Sri Lanka whitewashed New Zealand quite comprehensively in a two-match Test series. In the final encounter at Galle, the hosts rolled over the Kiwis for 88 runs in the first innings before eventually sealing a massive victory by an innings and 154 runs.
Interestingly, New Zealand's second essay after following on saw them adopt an aggressive approach, one that yielded a decent amount of dividends and took them beyond the 300-run mark. Glenn Phillips has been incredibly dangerous in red-ball cricket over the last two years, and he has players alongside him who can also lead the charge. The likes of Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner are all capable of batting at a fast tempo.
New Zealand might have realized that attacking is their best chance at winning on turning tracks, and if that is the case, India will need to be wary of a counter-attack. Rohit and his men were caught off guard by England earlier this year and cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes again. Their planning needs to be spot-on.
#1 India might need to play a third spinner despite overcast conditions in Bengaluru
India adopted a three-pacer strategy against Bangladesh, with Jasprit Bumrah being complemented by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. And despite conditions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru being overcast, the hosts might need to go in with three spinners against New Zealand.
Kuldeep Yadav has played only 12 Tests, but he is one of India's most potent threats in the format. The Kiwis have excellent players of pace across the lineup, but the middle order in particular might not be suited to countering a bowler of the left-arm wrist-spinner's caliber.
New Zealand have players who love playing spin off the back foot, which is a recipe for disaster against Kuldeep. Moreover, the venue has been slightly more favorable for the spinners over the last two years or so.