IND NZ Kanpur Test – IND vs NZ 1st Test LIVE: Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane has confirmed that Delhi Capitals star Shreyas Iyer will be making his Test debut on Thursday when India and New Zealand face off in Kanpur. With as many as 6 first team regulars unavailable, the team management will turn to Iyer to shore up the middle order, giving him a chance to prove his mettle before Virat Kohli returns for the second Test. Follow IND vs NZ LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN
India Playing XI 1st Test: Rahane in fix, who to play…
IND vs NZ Test LIVE: Ajinkya Rahane confirms Shreyas Iyer will make Test debut in Kanpur – Follow LIVE Updates
Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane has confirmed that Shreyas Iyer will be making his debut for India in the 1st test against New Zealand starting on Thursday. Iyer was named a part of the Test squad for the first time and joined up with the team having featured in the T20I series. A prolific run-getter in the domestic circuit, the Delhi Capitals star gets his chance after an injury to KL Rahul, forcing Shubman Gill back to the opener’s spot, alongside Mayank Agarwal.
Here are some of the excerpts from Rahane’s press conference
On Playing XI: Speaking to the media on the eve of the opening game, Rahane said: “Shreyas Iyer is going to make his debut.”
On Century drought and personal form: The Stand-in captain said, “I am not concerned about my form, it’s not necessary to make a hundred – I always think about the team, even 50 or 60 is important for the team cause.”
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On captaincy: “I always put the team first. I am very fortunate to lead the country, I am
not bothered about what is going to happen. I am just focused on giving my
best. When I am batting, I am there as a batter. The captaincy hat comes on when I
am there in the field. It is all about what sort of game plan we have, what sort of
strategy we have. I just like to keep it simple.”
On KL Rahul’s injury: “See, it is a big blow. KL Rahul is not available for these two Test matches, he did really well in England. He was in good form and played really well. Obviously, we will miss him but we have guys who can fill that slot, guys who did well for us in the past. Not too worried about the opening slot. ”
On working with Rahul Dravid: “Rahul bhai just told us to back ourselves and not think too much about it. Pujara and I know our game plan, it is about keeping it simple and backing our plans. If we get in, try to convert it into a big one. First of all, we will miss these three guys (Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma). But it is a good opportunity for all the youngsters to play, whoever gets an opportunity, they will look to play with freedom. This team is all about backing one another. Conditions here and conditions in South Africa will be different, first, we are thinking about this series
IND vs NZ Test LIVE: BIG 6 of Indian line up missing out, how India will beat the World Test Champions, Watch Ajinkya Rahane’s Press Con LIVE: Follow LIVE Updates
Why it will be tough for India to beat the World Test Champions? Without their 4 top batsman, India’s batting reserves have massively thinned meaning the Kanpur Test will either see one of Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumaar Yadav making their debut. The situation has worsened with Hanuma Vihari being sent on an ‘A’ tour to South Africa.
- Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane & Mayank Agarwal are the only players in the batting line-up with experience of playing over 10 Tests
- Agarwal himself making a comeback in what has been an up-and-down 14-Test career.
- Furthermore, both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have struggled for form and consistency for quite some time, with runs having dried for them over the past year or so.
Last Chance for Ajinkya Rahane? Captain Rahane is averaging under 25 over the last 15 Tests with one century. Those numbers further dip in home tests, where he has averaged 18.66 in four Tests in this period.
Cheteshwar Pujara is averaging under 29 over his last 22 Tests and he hasn’t scored a century. His average of 32.25 in nine home Tests in this period is also a huge cause of concern.
IND vs NZ Test: No Virat, Rohit and Rahul – Will inexperienced batting order stand up against WTC holders New Zealand?
IND NZ Kanpur Test – Shubman Gill, who has opened in each of 8 Tests, was viewed as a middle-order option for the game in the absence of Virat Kohli but will have to slot back at the top after KL Rahul’s injury.
Rahul’s IPL and state teammate Mayank Agarwal will hope to make his comeback count on home turf, where he starred against South Africa having lost his place to Gill in Australia.
Shreyas Iyer to debut: Ajinkya Rahane confirmed in his press conference that Shreyas Iyer will be making his debut for India in the longest format of the game. Iyer will be straightway thrown into the ring of fire with India having a shallow batting order in the absence of Rishabh Pant. In the domestic circuit, Shreyas Iyer is an accomplished name & has scored over 4,500 runs at an average of 52.18 with a strike rate of 81.54 including 12 centuries and 23 half-centuries in 54 matches.
Wriddhiman Saha will occupy the No.6 slot as a specialist keeper, while Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin add more depth to the lineup. Should Rahane not opt for a veteran Saha, then a debut to Srikar Bharat could be in the offing further adding to India’s inexperience.
IND NZ Kanpur Test – Gill and Agarwal have previously proven, albeit in parts, that a seamless transition could be made from the India A level to the senior team, and Iyer will hope to do the same starting Thursday. Now, the aforementioned trio will have to steer the Indian batting during the first Test vs NZ in Kanpur, especially with both Pujara and Rahane struggling for runs.
All set to don the whites 🇮🇳 👌🏻
Go well, @ShreyasIyer15! 👍🏻#TeamIndia #INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/IgUUHRHdMQ
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 24, 2021
India Playing XI vs New Zealand: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
IND vs NZ Test: No Virat, Rohit and Rahul – Will inexperienced batting order stand up against WTC holders New Zealand?
