The Indian Cricket Team have had a very successful series so far against the Kiwis, having comfortably won both the Tests so far by large margins. The batting, bowling, and fielding departments have clicked as the team, led by Virat Kohli were clinical in their performances.
The team has also had its fair share of adversity to deal with. Prior to the first Test, India’s most experienced pacer Ishant Sharma was ruled out after contracting Chikungunya. They soldiered on in the first Test without him.
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Hope was high as India went with a new opening combination at the top, with KL Rahul joining Murali Vijay. The pair looked to dominate from the very first ball and had an instant connection. Disaster struck for the Indians as KL Rahul was ruled out after the first Test with a hamstring injury. Shikhar Dhawan was then gifted a chance in the second Test but picked up a thumb injury after facing up to a barrage from Trent Boult.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was instrumental for India as he picked up a five-for in the first innings in Kolkata, but yesterday, news emerged that he too had picked up an injury and was ruled out with a side strain.
#1 Murali Vijay
India’s rock at the top. Murali Vijay’s importance in the Test squad cannot be understated. Generally starts his innings in a very patient manner, displaying a stern refusal to play any shots to deliveries wide outside off. As his knock progresses, he does play a number of cover drives and flicks to midwicket, constituting a number of his runs scored.
He was in exceptional form in Kanpur, where he scored two fifties and will feel he should have gone on to make a century. In Kolkata, he was outdone by Matt Henry, a very rare instance where a bowler completely dominated him.
Irrespective of that, he will expect to do well in Indore. He will have a new opening partner with him.
#2 Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was imperious in a successful Duleep Trophy campaign for side where he impressed with the bat and as a leader. The matches were played in Greater Noida, close to his home in Delhi and there were a number of banners calling for his recall to the Indian side.
The call-up wasn’t forthcoming as the Indian squad was announced without his name with it again. After KL Rahul’s injury, he received a surprise call-up and the fans were thrilled. While he had to sit out the second Test against Kolkata, an injury to Shikhar Dhawan all but confirms his place in the starting XI.
He will be playing his first Test in over two years and will be looking to impress.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara
The understated right-hander has underlined his importance in the Test squad with a couple of impressive performances in the Test series so far. He has carried on his impressive form from the Duleep Trophy, where he was an absolute treat to watch.
Coming in at the crucial #3 spot, he brings an air of calm to the crease and immediately stabilises proceedings. Along with Murali Vijay, he too scored two half-centuries in Kanpur. Even more impressive was the fact that he scored 87 in the first innings in Kolkata where the seamers were enjoying success.
He was established his place in the squad for the long home season.
#4 Virat Kohli
Captain extraordinaire. Is it too early to call him that? With the recent form of the team, it might just be justified. He donned the role of a cheerleader during the 2nd Test in Kolkata where he got the crowd involved with his animated gestures.
With the bat, he has not enjoyed the best of times recently. Since his 200 in Antigua earlier this year, he is yet to score a half-century. In the second innings in Kolkata, he looked imperious and well on his way to a big knock. He fell prey to a ball that stayed low and was visibly dejected.
A big innings is right around the corner. You just know it.
#5 Ajinkya Rahane
If Virat Kohli is captain extraordinaire, Ajinkya Rahane provides the perfect foil as vice-captain of the Indian Cricket Team. He was always an exceptional batsman but is now enjoying his role as a senior member of the squad.
He has shown his class with that bat in different conditions around the world and controls the middle-order for the team. Rarely does he fail in two consecutive innings and was crucial to India putting on a competitive first-innings total in the 2nd Test.
His reputation as one of the greatest batsmen around is growing.
#6 Rohit Sharma
A true success story from this series. There have been very few cricketers who have polarised opinion quite like Rohit Sharma has in the past few years. He always seemed on the brink of securing a spot in the Test squad.
While people questioned his temperament for the longest format of the game, he was staunchly backed by captain Virat Kohli and he is starting to reward the faith paid in him. His 82 in the second innings in Kolkata when the team was in crisis was just the knock he needed.
He is slowly silencing the critics and should just keep doing what he has been doing in this series.
#7 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was put on this planet to break records. For the most part, everything he seems to do as a Test cricketer seems to turn to gold. Most recently, he breached the 200 wicket barrier in Test matches. Astonishingly, he was the second fastest man ever to that mark.
He is no muck with the bat either and it is telling that he comes to bat ahead of a recognized batsman in Wriddhiman Saha. His all-around contributions have been a big factor in India’s success so far.
He is suspected to be nursing an injury to his finger and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the third Test.
#8 Wriddhiman Saha
The timid wicket-keeper batsman might never enjoy a Test match like he did most recently in Kolkata. The stage was set perfectly for him to establish himself in the squad and endear himself to the masses.
His shy personality had so far held him back from the love of the fans but he has proven to be a fighter, who can dig in and provide vital contributions. His performances behind the stumps have earned praise too.
In Kolkata, he was the star. He shined like no-one else.
#9 Ravindra Jadeja
It has been almost impossible to score runs of Ravindra Jadeja as he has been deadly accurate with his bowling and built the pressure up on the batsmen. He is a vital cog in the Indian setup and is forming a deadly combination with Ravichandran Ashwin.
More importantly, he notched up only his second ever half-century in the first Test at Kanpur. He is electric on the field as well, making him a truly exceptional cricketer.
#10 Mohammed Shami
With the absence of Ishant Sharma, there was a void to be filled as India’s spearhead pace bowler and Mohammed Shami has stepped up and taken the opportunity with both hands. He has proven to be deadly with both, the new ball, and old.
In Kolkata, reports emerged of his heroic effort despite having to deal with his daughter’s illness. His ability to reverse-swing the ball caught the eye as he left the Kiwi batsmen with no clue.
It is terrific to see he hasn’t skipped a beat after his injury and is back to his best.
#11 Umesh Yadav
Perhaps the player with most to play for during the third Test will be Umesh Yadav. With the exceptional performance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second Test and the imminent return of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav must step up.
While he might have a greater chance of breaking into the playing XI while India play abroad, he finds it a tougher task on spinning tracks at home. He only managed one wicket in the first Test and will be desparate to put in a better showing.
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