6 Indian players who were in the Test squad when New Zealand last toured India
New Zealand have not won a Test series in India and last toured the country in 2012 when the Indian side had a completely different look. The likes of MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have retired from Tests while some others have just faded away.
Among all the players who played in the 2012 series, only six players are in the current Indian Test squad. Who are those six players and how have they performed since that 2-0 series triumph over the Kiwis who will be looking to create history when the series starts on Thursday.
Here are the 6 Indian players who were in the Test squad when New Zealand last toured India and how they fared in that series and since then in the Test arena:
Umesh Yadav
If there is one Indian bowler that has been on the fringes of the Indian side without ever really establishing himself in the Test side then it has to be Umesh Yadav. The fast bowler has the pace, ability to move the ball and the variety to trouble batsmen irrespective of conditions but he has never quite managed to do that consistently.
The 28-year-old played both Tests in that series and took five wickets. However, he has just played 11 Tests in the four years since the last time New Zealand toured India. Although he has looked threatening at times, he hasn't managed to get a consistent run in the side and perform at the level which many expected he would.
58 wickets in 19 Tests aren't bad but the fact that he is often very expensive goes against him. With pitches expected to assist spin and India having established Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami as the first-choice pacers, he is unlikely to start in the upcoming Test series.