All eyes on Rahane

November 25, 2021 09:18

India captain Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss elected to bat against New Zealand and at Green Park in Kanpur on Thursday.

Shreyas Iyer to make his Test debut and will play three spinners and two seamers. Shubman Gill to open the batting with Mayank Agarwal.

While New Zealand will play two spinners, two seamers, Rachin Ravindran will make his Test debut.

Rahane, with his career on line, gets to lead India may be one last time while 100-Test veteran Ishant Sharma will be praying that young turk Mohammed Siraj doesn't nudge him out.

Shreyas Iyer is set for his Test debut and would like to reaffirm 'Bombay (not Mumbai) School of Batsmanship' whose philosophy transcends beyond the white-ball riches of Indian Premier League.

It is indeed a rarity to find an Indian Test team that is without its hit opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Also missing from line-up is skipper Virat Kohli and a genuine match-winning wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

But this also gives head coach Rahul Dravid a chance to check out what his back-up bench strength is before the away tour of South Africa, which starts in less than a month's time.

In the batting line-up for the first Test, only Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal have played more than 10 Tests.

If Agarwal does well, that will keep KL Rahul on his toes and a good show from Shubman Gill will keep the team management interested in slotting him in the middle-order when the two regular openers come back.

In any sport, leader of the side is considered to have a secured slot in the side but in this Indian team, the skipper will be batting to save his career after an average of 19 in 11 Test matches in the current season.

Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Rahane. Even Dravid will also find it difficult to justify the Mumbaikar's inclusion in the Johannesburg-bound flight next month.

WTC champions New Zealand will look to adapt on a spinning track and will expect spinners Somerville and Ajaz Patel to get some purchase and make an impact.

Playing XIs:

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell(w), Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, William Somerville

India: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

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