New Zealand’s Tour of India is reaching its conclusion with their final engagement about to begin on Friday. After playing 3 T20 internationals, in which they met with defeat on all three occasions, the Kiwis are now plying their trade in a 2-match Test series. The first test match was played in Kanpur and it ended in a draw. The second Test match between India and visitors New Zealand is going to begin on Friday, December 3. The outcome of this match will hence decide the result of the series. A series win against the number one test side in the world would be an outstanding achievement for Team India.
Match Details, Venue And Broadcast News
The final test match in Mumbai will start at 9.30 am (IST). There are reports of possible showers on the first day. That will influence the pitch and team selection in a big way.
The Wankhede pitch is known to be tricky for the batters. Reports suggest that the pitch would aid the pacers early on and then side with the spinners.
Star Sports Network will be airing the game live on its channel/s from 9 am (IST). And streaming service provider Dinsey+Hotstar will bring the action to mobile viewers.
Indian Side Buoyed By The Return Of Captain Kohli
The Mumbai test will have added attraction for cricket fans across the country as they would get to see their favourite player Kohli back on the crease. Virat Kohli had kept himself out of the Indian squad voluntarily citing fatigue and overburden. He led the Indian T20 side in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup recently, after which he stepped down from the T20 captaincy.
With Rohit Sharma performing brilliantly both as a player and as a new T20 skipper, there were questions about Kohli’s future as captain of the Test and ODI sides. However, the Indian cricket board has kept faith with Kohli for the time being. It would be interesting to see how he responds with his bat and leadership skills once the match starts in Mumbai.
Selection Dilemma For Men In Blue
With the return of Virat Kohli, the Indian team now faces the major task of picking the right combination of players to play against the Kiwis. Mayank Agarwal could lose his opening spot to accommodate Kohli.
Two other batsmen on the side have not been performing well this year. One is Cheteshwar Pujara and the other is Ajinkya Rahane. Seeing as Rahane captained the side in Kanpur, it is unlikely that he would be left out of the playing eleven in Mumbai.
As far as Pujara is concerned, his best has been evading him for the past few months. He has not scored a decent score for a long time. However, with the difficult away series against South Africa coming up, the team selection committee would not be looking to break their morale by leaving them out. Pujara would be vital in seeing out the new ball in South Africa. And Rahane’s overseas record cannot be overlooked under any circumstances. All these factors could keep them in the team on Friday.
The big revelation for Team India in Kanpur came in the form of Shreyas Iyer’s stellar debut. He scored a century in the first innings and then a half-century in the second. To have this kind of debut is a dream for many young Indian players. But due to the crowded middle-order now that Kohli is back, his place in the team is looking
uncertain.
Wriddhiman Saha was good in the first match but is nursing a stiff neck. His place could go to KS Bharat, who could also be seen opening along with Shubhman Gill. Mohammad Siraj would most likely replace out-of-touch Ishant Sharma.
Probable Starting Elevens
India: Shubhman Gill, KS Bharat (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel
India Vs New Zealand Head-To-Head Record
India and New Zealand have faced each other on 61 different occasions in Test match cricket. The Indian Team has got the better of their rivals 21 times, whereas the Kiwis have tasted victory 16 times. As many as 27 matches between these two sides have ended in draws.
In the subcontinent, however, India has been a clear dominator. Out of a total of 35 matches that the two have played in India, the home side has won 16 times, with New Zealand winning only 2 matches. Again, 17 of those 35 games have ended in draws.
