"Spin-friendly but good to bat on" - Ajinkya Rahane assesses pitch conditions for IND vs NZ 2021 Test series
Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane has given a lowdown on the type of pitches to expect during the India-New Zealand Test series, which starts tomorrow in Kanpur. He said the wickets will be spin-favoring but still decent for batting, as India tries to make the best use of home advantage in the World Test Championship (2021-23).
Ajinkya Rahane was asked to comment on the abundance of bowler-friendly wickets in Test cricket of late and its impact on batters. The 33-year-old replied that Indian wickets will also reward batters for their application and adaptability, as that's the biggest challenge of playing international cricket.
In the pre-series press conference, Ajinkya Rahane said:
"See, right now, we are into the ICC [World] Test Championship and home advantage... you have to make the most of it and in India, we are backing our bowlers to take 20 wickets, and as I said that [there will be] spin-friendly wickets. We are going to play on those kinds of wickets [but] at the same time it will be good to bat. Batsmen will have to apply themselves; if they get set, they'll have to convert it to a big one."
Ajinkya Rahane added:
"That is the challenge as a batsman. When you play at the highest level, you'll have to adapt according to the situation, the conditions and once you are set, try and get a big one. But yeah, in the future we are going to play in the pitches which won't be just spin-friendly and you'll see that."
The two-Test rubber is the first time India and New Zealand will clash in the format after the inaugural WTC (2019-21) final in June. The inception of this three-year-old competition has coincided with an era of bowlers, mainly pacers, in the Test arena.
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This has seen teams design pitches tailor-made for their bowlers at home even as their batters continue to struggle overseas. India's success in Australia and England are a few exceptions to this trend.
Can't reveal anything about the bowling combination: Ajinkya Rahane
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Ajinkya Rahane didn't divulge India's bowling combination for tomorrow. He said the team is expecting a slow and low pitch in Kanpur, but the final decision on the playing XI will be taken on the matchday only.
Ajinkya Rahane added:
"I can't reveal anything about that. We are not too sure about our combination. But see in India, you generally know, [there are] spin-friendly wickets and the ball generally keeps low and slow, so yeah we expect that but not too sure how the wicket will play, we all will have to wait till tomorrow and assist it from there."
The proceedings will commence at 9:30 AM IST. Taking a cue from recent home Tests, India are likely to play three spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and two seamers in their bowling attack.