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India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test: Who will be Virat Kohli’s bowlers at Eden Gardens?

India would still go with the same number of batsmen which will automatically give way for 4 bowlers.

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The Indian team will like to go 2-0 up in the three-Test series and come out with a good team combination © AFP
The Indian team will like to go 2-0 up in the three-Test series and come out with a good team combination © AFP

The intriguing home season for Team India has began. The first Test at Green Park, Kanpur was evenly contested for the first few days till India came to their menacing best in home conditions. After starting off well on Day One, India allowed New Zealand to make early inroads and take a firm grip till stumps at Day Two. It was pleasing to see the track not turning judiciously, as it kept New Zealand in the hunt, but it started spinning from third day onwards as India scripted a convincing win in their landmark 500th Test. The action now moves to Eden Gardens with India looking to seal the fate of the series whereas New Zealand will try to stay alive in the competition.

The first Test was engaging as it had almost everything for the players. There were as many as 10 fifties along with two five-wicket hauls. As expected, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja delievered the goods.  The pitch at Eden Gardens will be another task for the teams in question. Usually with turf in Kolkata is tough to understand at the beginning. Usually, there is a tinge of grass and inadequate bounce but as is the case with the majority of Indian pitches, it starts turning from Day Three. It is needless to say that spin will take centre stage after starting days. So will Virat Kohli come up with the same team in Kolkata or think on different note and surprise everyone?

Will Kohli think of Bhuvneshwar Kumar?

For records, Kohli has never played with the same eleven he chose from the previous match. This not only keeps the players on their toes but also raises speculation levels. Basics of cricket suggest that a captain does not tinker with the Playing Winning XI but KL Rahul‘s injury automatically means the same players will not come out at Eden Gardens. Likewise, Kohli also has a habit of surprising everyone with his team or bowling combinations, like he did with his 4-bowlers’ strategy in the series opener. Some cricket writers had also criticised him for getting his team selection half-right but in the end, everything turned out well. ALSO READ: India vs New Zealand, Kanpur: A Test that all parties won

Seeing the nature of the track at Eden Gardens, which will be hosting India’s 250th Test at home, there will be uneven bounce for which India have Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (generally known for swinging the ball) in their arsenal. Yadav’s inclusion was debatable for the Kanpur Test as overcast conditions could have supported a genuine swing bowler and local lad Bhuvneshwar. Yadav picked up one wicket and was economical. He is known for being erratic with the ball but still fetching some important scalps for the side. Seeing this, he did decently.

Bhuvneshwar has worked hard for a comeback and was evident when he won a game in the third match of the four-Test series against West Indies. Bhuvneshwar is more akin to adapting himself on different conditions for being more skillful and should be given the nod ahead of Yadav. He will be able to make more use of the pitch if curators leave some grass with the red cherry. Bhuvneshwar has more control than Yadav and can also trouble the bouncers with timely bouncers as he has worked upon his pace as well. ALSO READ: IND vs NZ, 1st Test: In the end, pitch was the ultimate winner

The other pacer will undoubtedly be Shami until and unless he gets injured or misses playing in home conditions as did Bhuvneshwar. Kohli will rely upon Shami as he has a plethora of knowledge of the surface. Reverse swing is Shami’s strength and he will use it to good effect during the early hours of play or evening sessions. Three seamers should not be required and the question remains between Yadav and Bhuvneshwar. It will be interesting to see who gets favoured by Kohli this time around.

Spin department: 2 or 3 spinners?

It will be needless to pen down chances of Ashwin and Jadeja playing the next game. The duo are the ‘James Anderson-Stuart Broad’ for India and are obviously playing the whole series (unless they bow out of injury or India applies Australia’s logic of ‘resting’ their players ahead of five-Test series versus England. Remember Steven Smith’s case during Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka 2016?). In the tweakers department, the speculation remains if Kohli and team management go for three spinners or continue with three.

Playing three spinners would not be illogical in Kolkata as the pitch will turn more than Kanpur but India have enough firepower to dismantle the Kiwis’ batting line-up with Ashwin-Jadeja at the helm of things. Amit Mishra has been unlucky, at times, to miss the bus due to Ashwin and Jadeja’s habit of ripping apart opponents. Mishra takes wickets, sometimes the vital ones, but seldom runs through a team. In this way, even with the track expected to be conducive for spin for India to go 2-0 up, they will not require Mishra. ALSO READ: Mohammed Shami: Different joy in bowling reverse-swing

If India somehow go with three spinners, they will go all out at the Black Caps and if they bat second, they will have a herculean task to save or win the match. All said and done, bowling combination will also depend on India’s batting line-up. They went with 6 proper batsmen and one in the form of wicketkeeper. Reports suggest that Rahul has hamstring and may miss out which will bring Gautam Gambhir or Shikhar Dhawan in place of the right-hander. Apart from this, India would still go with the same number of batsmen (Gambhir/Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma) which will automatically give way for 4 bowlers. ALSO READ: Here’s why Dhawan may get a nod ahead of Gambhir for Kolkata Test

Spin is no more India’s strength as it was during India’s ‘Golden Period’ and that should accommodate the think-tank to come out with six batters. Kohli will keep every cricket expert guessing it till the last minute before play starts on September 30 but it is very much on the cards that India will, for the first time under Kohli, go with the same eleven with the only doubt remaining between Bhuvneshwar and Yadav.

(Aditya Sahay is a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)

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