IND vs NZ 1st Test: Rohit Sharma and Co. have a lot of soul searching to do after their loss to New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series. New Zealand, led by Tom Latham broke a 36-year-old jinx as the Kiwis registered their first Test win on Indian soil after 1988. If the whole Test match is taken into consideration, India weren’t that bad, but it was their poor first innings outing that led to their debacle in Bengaluru.
Selection Headache For Team India
The second Test match of the series commences on October 24 and will be played in Pune. New Zealand have already taken a 1-0 lead in the series and the hosts will look to win the second Test and nullify their lead. But before the second Test, Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir have plenty of selection headaches.
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India’s designated number three Shubman Gill was rested in the series opener due to a stiff neck. Mumbai youngster Sarfaraz Khan was included in India’s XI and he scored a fiery ton which helped India stage a fightback. In Gill’s absence, his cricketing predecessor Virat Kohli was promoted to the number 3 spot, a decision which in some ways did not reap such great results for India. But all eyes will be on KL Rahul , who failed to impress yet again with the bat.
After the first Test match, Rohit Sharma was asked about Shubman Gill’s injury and fitness to which the Indian captain had a positive response. If Shubman Gill is fit, he certainly won’t be left out. This means that either KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan will be left out. Gill coming back also means that Virat goes back to his original spot of batting number 4 in Tests. Will Gambhir and Rohit prefer form over experience? Only time has an answer to that.
Herculean Task For New Zealand Ahead
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New Zealand might have registered a historic victory at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, but it doesn’t mean that all their problems have ended. In order to play the World Test Championship finals next year, the Kiwis have to win all their remaining five Test matches. A loss in any of them will see them out of the race and a draw won’t help either.
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