This is the season of milestones. Kanpur celebrated Indian cricket’s 500th Test. Now, Kolkata is gearing up to host the 250th home Test. Perhaps that is why the Cricket Association of Bengal has decided to install a bell at the Eden Gardens, similar to the one at Lord’s. Kapil Dev is slated to ring it on the morning of day one.
This will be the 40th Test to be played at this ground, stretching back to 1934. Dubbed the "Lord’s of the East", it is a wonder why the authorities didn’t think of installing that bell earlier. Even so, as long as the celebrations stay a bare minimum, no one would mind. Another show like the one on day one at the Green Park Stadium would be unwarranted. After all, there are only so many mementos and shawls Kane Williamson would have use for.
He would have other things on his mind at the moment. Like, when he was asked in the post-match press conference in Kanpur, if the Black Caps would still like to win this series. As soft-spoken as he is, Williamson replied with a smile. “We would definitely like to be more competitive and put more pressure on the opposition consistently.”
It is not to say he doesn’t want to win, for the Black Caps fight until the last ball. Yet, it would seem that the skipper already knows in his heart that India are too strong at home, and that too, without unleashing the fifth bowler (read the third spinner) in the first Test.
Will India play five bowlers?
Kolkata could provide a chance for Kohli to flex his five-bowler muscles. Even before the Kanpur Test got over, there was talk how the Eden Gardens pitch will be a lot better than the Green Park one, thus allowing the New Zealand batsmen more leeway in terms of batting.
While the margin of victory in the first Test was 197 runs, it did not reflect on how well the New Zealand top-order had done. There were two partnerships – Tom Latham-Kane Williamson in the first innings, and Luke Ronchi-Mitchell Santner in the second – that defied the Indian bowling for a considerable period of time. On the one hand, it is worrisome for the visitors that they rely so heavily on their top and middle order to get runs. A better batting pitch in the second Test could be just the fillip they need, particularly if luck favours them and Williamson wins the toss.
In that sense there was parity between the two batting line-ups. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara came up with two dominating partnerships to script the tale for the hosts. In both innings, India suffered a middle-order collapse, with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane not doing much. And surprisingly enough, while there was much debate about Rohit Sharma’s temperament in the first innings, he was involved in two important lower-order partnerships – with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – in both innings.
Whom to drop?
So, how does the Indian team shape up for this second Test? Considering they won the first match comfortably, there aren’t many spots up for grabs. Kohli is someone who likes to chop and change depending on the conditions available. If the Kolkata pitch is on the firmer side, Amit Mishra could get a look-in. The leg-spinner endured a heavy workout during optional practice on Wednesday.
In playing five bowlers, though, Kohli will have to drop a batsman. KL Rahul being unavailable actually is a boon then, for Cheteshwar Pujara can be a makeshift opener and everybody else can move up one spot. This team is no stranger to change; in fact, it is the mantra they have come to live by. However, in doing so, both Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir will be forced to sit out.
It would be a bit of a googly for the new selection committee. Despite a fully fit opener available in the squad, they rushed in an extra one ahead of this second Test. Does that mean Gambhir gets an automatic jump ahead of Dhawan in their eyes? Additionally, they have abandoned the future-centric plan of the previous selection panel, which had sidelined Gambhir for the past two years. If Dhawan was good enough to continue then, he surely is good enough now, never mind his patchy run of form.
While Kohli can be unpredictable in terms of his combination as a whole, he believes in backing his players to the hilt. If Dhawan was made to wait for his chance, with Vijay-Rahul picked as first-choice openers for the Kanpur Test, it is only justifiable that the left-hander be given his chance now, if the skipper does indeed opt for two full-time openers.
New Zealand's concerns
There are selection problems for New Zealand too. All-rounder Jimmy Neesham is still unfit and unavailable as such. It remains to be seen if Jeetan Patel has joined the squad in time, after his arrival in India from the United Kingdom was delayed, and is in the mix. The visitors surely wouldn’t want to upset their balance.
The biggest question mark though hangs over Martin Guptill. For a brief moment, in the first innings, he attacked the Indian spinners and showed why he is handed a long rope despite poor form. If he could only overturn this bad run, and take the game to Ashwin-Jadeja, the Kiwis will make a sterner statement going ahead. For someone as calculative as Williamson, it is a punt worth taking.
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