India v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Kolkata - Preview

After the 500th, it’s time for the 250th. No, India is not travelling backwards in time. Kanpur was the team’s 500th Test match, Kolkata is going to be the 250th at home.

It was at the Eden Gardens that India last tasted defeat in a home Test, losing to Alastair Cook’s England by seven wickets in December 2012. Since then, 12 Tests at home have brought no defeats, with 10 victories only interrupted by two draws. The most recent win was by 197 runs in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, and both teams are heading into the Kolkata match that starts on Friday (September 30) knowing that if India wins, it will not only claim the series but also the No.1 Test team rank.

It’s a do-or-die match for New Zealand therefore, and the visiting side has stressed on the need to not let fatigue or a lack of concentration undo the good work. New Zealand fought well to take the Kanpur Test into the penultimate session, but as both Kane Williamson, the captain, and Mike Hesson, the coach, pointed out, it needed to string together good performances with the bat and ball for longer periods. That meant more application from batsmen who were set to carry on and make big scores, and greater control from bowlers who were in the middle of good spells that had India's batsmen in trouble.

A minor worry for New Zealand is that Williamson, who is arguably the best batsman in the series among both teams, didn’t take part in the training session on Thursday, the eve of the match, due to a stomach bug. Tom Latham, the opener, however said that the captain would be fit and lead the side out in all probability come match-day. “Kane is a little bit crook today so he won't be training. Hopefully he'll be fine to go tomorrow,” said Latham. “There is no discomfort, he is just down with a bug. Nothing too major, he is just resting up and getting right for tomorrow.”

That apart, New Zealand will continue to miss the all-round abilities of Jimmy Neesham, who hasn’t yet recovered from a rib injury, and will also be without Mark Craig, the offspinner. Craig was New Zealand’s most impressive bowler in the first innings in Kanpur, even though he didn’t have the wickets to show for it. He kept the ball on a teasing length, drawing batsmen forward with his dip and having them reaching for the ball. Jeetan Patel, a like-for-like replacement, has linked up with the squad and his experience of having played in India before is something the team is looking forward to draw on.

India, meanwhile, has a potentially even more serious worry – the fitness of R Ashwin. The offspinner who has been grabbing wickets by the dozen had a ten-for in Kanpur bowling with a corn on the middle finger of his right hand. He had revealed during the Test that he hadn’t bowled for 25 days, though the lack of practice didn’t hamper his rhythm too much. However, Ashwin suffered some bleeding on the finger once again on Wednesday, and at the training session on Thursday, he didn’t bowl at all. He did pad up and have a bat though, suggesting that not bowling was a precautionary measure to give the injured finger maximum rest before it’s pressed into service.

With KL Rahul injured and Ishant Sharma still down with chikungunya, the Indian selectors named Gautam Gambhir and Jayant Yadav as the replacements. Jayant is an offspinner in the Ashwin mould – tall, giving the ball air and a more-than-useful batsman down the order. However, Virat Kohli said that Jayant’s inclusion – though not a like-for-like replacement for Ishant – was not intended as providing cover in case Ashwin was not available, but more looking at the immediate demands of the squad since they had three pacers already in Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and didn’t need any additional ones.

“Ashwin is absolutely fine. Jayant is not there as a cover,” clarified Kohli. “Ishant would have started the first game had he been fit. We have three quicks already and we felt we don't need anymore. We thought of adding another offspinner because they have five left-handers in their line-up. This would help if at some stage we plan to play three spinners. Maybe two offspinners could play together. That was the whole idea bringing in another guy who can bowl at the left-handers. We have a left-arm spinner, a leg-spinner, so someone along with Ashwin would do the same job in case we require two of these against the five left-handers.”

It was not clear who Kohli was referring to as the ‘five’ left-handers though. Latham and Mitchell Santner bat left-handed, as does Henry Nicholls, who was not picked for the Kanpur Test. The only other left-hand batsman among players available for selection is Neil Wagner, the No. 11.

Rahul’s spot is likely to go to Shikhar Dhawan, who missed out in Kanpur but had a longish stint in the nets on Thursday. Gambhir batted only towards the end, though that might not necessarily mean much.

The square at Eden Gardens has been relaid, so there is still some mystery about how the pitch might behave. On match eve, it sported a goodish bit of grass, but some of that is bound to be shaved off before the match starts. The sun has also not been shining brightly in Kolkata, and a new pitch with cloud cover could give New Zealand something to smile about. There has never been a Test that began here in September, with the tailend of the monsoon season still around, and there is a real threat of rain becoming a factor.

Kohli, however, exuded confidence in his squad and their skills, emphasising the need to control what was in their hands and not worry about the rest. “Yes, I've seen the wicket. No comments on the wicket for now,” said the Indian captain. “We’ve got all the bases covered as far the team is concerned. It looks like a normal wicket that we expect at Eden Gardens. The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It’s generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same.

“Obviously I can’t speak about combinations yet. As a home side if we feel we are able to put big runs on the board, that obviously puts pressure on the opposition, regardless of the wicket we are playing on. I felt that even in the last game we had a chance of getting 400-plus, but we didn’t capitalise. So those are the things we want to correct. Once you have a big score on the board, the opposition feels they have to work that extra bit or bat a session and a half more than they would like to. That gives you an advantage in the game.”

Teams (from):India: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jayant Yadav.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Jeetan Patel, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk).