Published: Sep 30, 2016, 06:45 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 30, 2016, 03:54 AM (IST)
India lock horns with New Zealand in the second Test at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata from September 30. India have made a couple of changes in the squad for this match. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav has come in place of speedster Ishant Sharma, who is still recovering from chikungunya. Also, Gautam Gambhir returns to the Indian team for the first time in two years. With Jayant’s inclusion, India now have as many as four spinners in the side. Kohli played only four bowlers in the first Test and might opt for an extra spinner. The toss up will be between Jayant and Amit Mishra, if Kohli decides to bring in a third spinner. If India need a fast bowler, they have Bhuvneshwar Kumar at their disposal. A win for India will see them win their fourth continuous series under Virat Kohli. Let us take a look at some of the key clashes that we might see in the all important second Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Kane Williamson: There is little doubt that the wicket of Williamson is perhaps the most important scalp for India. In the first Test, Williamson was dismissed by Ashwin in both the innings. In the first innings, he was bowled by a ball sharply turning into him, on good length. Williamson was stuck to the crease and neither played front not back and saw the ball crash into his wickets. In the second innings, Williamson played across the line and was trapped in front. That was Ashwin’s 200th test wicket. He is the fastest Indian and the second fastest in the world to reach that landmark. The second Test too might see a good contest between these two. Ashwin, arguably India’s best bowler in the subcontinent against Williamson, one of the best batsmen in the world, will surely be a mouthwatering contest. However, the BlackCaps skipper will want to get the better of the off-spinner.
Virat Kohli against rash shots: Kohli was dismissed off rash shots in both the innings in the first test. Ever since his 200 in the first Test at Antigua, Kohli has failed in all the consequent innings. In the first innings of the first Test, he had no control whatsoever of the hook shot off Neil Wagner. He holed out at deep fine leg and walked back for a low score again. In the second innings, impatience got the better of him as he tried to sweep mark Craig. In the ended he mistimed the shot and the ball went straight down the throat of the deep mid-wicket fielder. Kohli will have to control his urge and get his eye in first before going for the big shots. Everyone knows he has the capability to play the long innings, it is just the case of application for him. READ: IND vs NZ 2nd Test: Changes visitors should make for the Eden Gardens Test
Indian batsmen vs Trent Boult with old ball: Boult was much more threatening with the old ball then he was with the new ball in the first innings. He removed Wriddhiman Saha with a beautiful inswinger and then followed it up with the wicket of the well set Ashwin. India will have to be wary of his bowling, especially when the ball is a bit old. The reverse swing may come into play at that time and Boult could turn out to be India’s destructor.
Ross Taylor vs Ravindra Jadeja: After Williamson, New Zealand depend mostly on Taylor to do bulk of the scoring. He was dismissed for a duck by Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings and ridiculously ran himself out in the second innings. Taylor will have to be careful against the sliding deliveries from Jadeja. He might play for the turn, but the ball might manage to sneak in, either bowling him or trapping him leg before. He was adjudged LBW off a similar delivery in the first innings. Jadeja got most of his wickets even against South Africa with the help of such deliveries and could bother the Kiwi batsman too with that sort of delivery. Taylor would have noted that and will look to be careful against such deliveries. He could perhaps take a leaf out of Williamson’ book – making good use of the crease, batting deep into it, which will give you a little more time to have a good look and play the ball.
New Zealand vs Indian spinners: These days it is not that uncommon for teams to open the bowling with spinners and we might see that in this match as well. Ashwin opened the bowling in the second innings of the first Test and immediately got the wicket of openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill in the very first over, which gave India an ideal start. Depending on the conditions, India will go in with a similar strategy. New Zealand too used a similar strategy, but India were more successful with this. While New Zealand lost a couple of wickets in the initial stages, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul had gotten India off to a steady start. India will once again look to bombard New Zealand with spinners and take command of the game. READ: Kohli and co. need to weld chinks in their armour
New Zealand will have to bounce back in this match, if they are to have a chance of winning the series. They have not won a Test in India for over 20 years and if they manage to achieve that at the Eden Gardens, it will indeed be a special moment for them. But India have been unbeaten since they lost a Test in Sri Lanka in 2015 and will once again leave no stone unturned in winning the Test. READ: IND vs NZ, 2nd Test: Shami, Boult to be trump cards?
But India have a selection dilemma. With KL Rahul out, either Shikhar Dhawan or Gambhir will return to the team. Also, with Jayant in the team, it will be interesting to see of Kohli plays him or Mishra in the team as the third spinner. If so, one of the batsmen will have to drop to the bench. Will be interesting to see who India finally field for the second Test.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry.com. He is a sport enthusiast and a keen observer of cricket, the contests, and its personalities. When not tracking cricket, he follows the world’s soccer leagues and is somewhat partial towards Liverpool. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
