Will India leave out Rahane or Pujara?

December 03, 2021 08:47

India will hope the return of regular captain Virat Kohli proves to be the difference when they take on New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Debutant Rachin Ravindra and No 11 batter Ajaz Patel combined in a last-wicket stand for New Zealand during the last session in Kanpur to see out the final 52 balls to deny India victory and leave the two-match series evenly poised.

While Kohli's return after a rest will be a welcome boost for the second-ranked Test side's batting, it will also leave them with a selection headache.

In Kohli's absence, Shreyas Iyer made a dream debut with a first-innings 105 followed by a crucial 65 in the second.

Calls have grown to drop either Ajinkya Rahane, who led India in Kanpur, or Cheteshwar Pujara - both of whom have been short of runs - to vacate a spot for Kohli and allow Iyer to retain his place.

It remains to be seen if KS Bharat, who is likely to replace Wriddhiman Saha as the wicektkeeper, takes over the opening role from Mayank Agarwal which allows India to play both Pujara and Rahane.

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