India vs New Zealand: 3 positives for India after series win
India romped home to a win in the second Test against New Zealand as off-spinner Jayant Yadav struck thrice in the first half-hour of the fourth morning to finish with career-best figures of 4 wickets for 49 runs.
The Men in Blue won the match at the Wankhede Stadium by 372 runs and, with it, the series 1-0 as well.
On a Mumbai track that was offering plenty of assistance to the spinners, New Zealand will be disappointed at not having driven home the advantage despite Ajaz Patel bagging all 10 wickets in the first innings.
Their insipid display in the first innings cost them the match as India, in home conditions, continued to underline their ruthless domination.
India's next assignment is away against South Africa and there were plenty of positives for the side in this series.
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Here we take a look at three positives for India in this series:
1.) Mayank Agarwal finds form
Leading into the South Africa series, India will be thrilled with the form of Mayank Agarwal. The opener notched up a commanding 150 in the first innings of the second Test and then followed it up with another half-century in the second dig.
The India management is looking at playing Shubman Gill in the middle order and as such, Mayank Agarwal could be slotted in as the third opener when the squad is named for the South Africa series.
Cheteshwar Pujara is also under a lot of pressure and if management decides to give him a rest, Agarwal could be the new No.3 for the South Africa series.
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2.) The emergence of Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was the biggest talking point for India in this series. The right-handed batter smashed a century on debut in the first innings of the first Test in Kanpur and then followed it up with a half-century in the second essay.
With Ajinkya Rahane struggling to hit his stride across conditions, Iyer can be the answer in the middle order. The 27-year-old will face tougher challenges in South Africa, but he looked at home in Tests in this series against New Zealand.
"A lot of these guys don’t get the opportunity to play a lot (of Test cricket), but it’s nice to see them do well, especially the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Axar Patel and Jayant (Yadav)," Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said after the win.
Iyer has been a tested performer in first-class cricket and Harbhajan Singh has also backed him to do well in South Africa.
"Ajinkya Rahane is not scoring runs. Going forward, Iyer could be India’s perfect solution," Harbhajan Singh was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
3.) Axar Patel and his batting form
Axar Patel has been outstanding with the ball in home conditions and his solid form continued in the series against New Zealand. However, the 27-year-old also finally hit his stride with the bat and contributed in both the Test matches.
With Ravindra Jadeja currently injured, India could well look at Axar Patel as the all-rounder, and he could be an able accomplice to Ravichandran Ashwin.
Axar notched up his maiden Test fifty in the first innings of the second Test when he scored 52 in India's total of 325, and then followed it up with a quickfire 26-ball 41 not out in the second dig.
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