Virat Kohli’s master plan for first Test aganst New Zealand, drops two big names from the team
Jan 9, 2019 at 4:13 PM
The Indian team is gearing up for probably the busiest home schedule they have ever seen. They are scheduled to play as many as 13 Tests in the next season. With the likes of England and Australia coming to India, the young team would be looking to start their season on a good note when they take on New Zealand in three-match Test series which is starting on September 22 at Kanpur.
With only two days remaining before the first Test, Virat Kohli and company is busy in making the strategy to get the better of the visitors. With a new coach and several inexperienced players, the captain knows that his team will have to be at its best to get a good result.
The skipper has reportedly indicated that the playing eleven will be selected on the basis of their performance and not on status. And so there are speculations surrounding the position of regular opener Shikhar Dhawan in the team. After performing poorly on the West Indies tour he again failed to impress during the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. On the other hand, KL Rahul has been in sensational form and he might get the nod to partner Murali Vijay at the top of the order.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma’s selection in the squad is another talking point. The limited-overs opener has consistently failed to perform in the longest format of the game and his failure to perform in the practice game against the Kiwis has only deteriorated the matters for him. But the backing he receives from the captain might see him making his way into the playing eleven. Now if the Indian team decides to play five bowlers like they did against West Indies and Rohit Sharma gets the nod to play then Cheteshwar Pujara will be dropped from the team.Pujara has been in terrific form and so it gives a selection headache to the team management.
Another player who presents a strong case is Ravinder Jadeja. Jadeja has performed brilliantly in home conditions in the past but his dismal performance in West Indies raised doubts over his selection in the team. But his strong performance in the Duleep Trophy will be enough for him to earn a spot in the playing eleven.