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After winning the T20 series handsomely, India shift their focus towards the two-match Test series. In this rematch of the inaugural WTC final, New Zealand will take on the hosts at Green Park, Kanpur from November 25 to November 29.
India, who suffered yet another knockouts blow at the hands of New Zealand in the WTC final, got a remarkable start to their second edition of the championship. Virat Kohli’s men took a 2-1 lead against England in England, winning at Lord’s by 151 runs and at the Oval by 157 runs before the fifth Test was postponed due to the COVID-19 scare. These two Tests at home gives them a great chance to consolidate their position at the top of the table.
The inaugural WTC champions New Zealand will begin their second cycle with this series. They will play 13 matches in total, starting with the India tour followed by home series against Bangladesh and South Africa. The last time NZ toured India for a Test series was in Sept-Oct 2016, where India hammered them by 3-0. The Kiwis will have a monumental task ahead of them to take any points from this series.
Key players
Ravichandran Ashwin has had an enormous impact on Indian cricket, especially at home. The genius offspinner has 413 wickets to his name from 79 Test matches at an exceptional average of 24.56. Ashwin has claimed a five-wicket haul in 30 innings and a 10-wicket haul in seven matches.
He was simply magnificent in the last home series against England, where he bagged 33 scalps in four games at just 14.71 runs a piece. Watch out for Ashwin as he spins the web around the NZ batting unit.
Mayank Agarwal, who lost his place in the side during Australia tour, will get an opportunity to open the innings with Rohit rested and Shubman Gill likely to be preferred in the middle order. The Karnataka batter has done well in his short Test career, with over 1000 runs at an average of 45.73.
One of the best players of spin, Mayank has incredible numbers at home, having scored 597 runs at an average of 99.50. Agarwal has smashed three centuries at home, two of which are double hundreds. With such numbers at home, Agarwal is expected to be a thorn in the flesh for NZ.
Axar Patel, coming on the back of excellence First Class record, produced one of the best debut series by a player. Axar Patel snared 27 wickets in three games against England earlier this year, averaging an incredible 10.59 runs per wicket.
The left arm spinner claimed four five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul, with best match figures of 11/70. Axar’s height and control makes him nearly unplayable on Indian tracks and could be a massive threat for New Zealand.
Kane Williamson is amongst the Fab 4 of the current generation batters. The Kiwi captain is brilliant against pace as well spin and has a magnificent record to boast of. He has amassed 7230 runs in 85 Tests at an average of 53.95.
Williamson has registered 24 centuries and 33 half centuries in the longest format, with the highest of 251. Williamson’s record in subcontinent conditions has been used against him, with an average of 46.81 in Asia and 35.46 in India. But a lot of it came in his early years and you can expect a player of his class to turn that around.
Prediction
The head to head record between the two teams in the longest format of the game is in favour of India, who have won 21 matches while New Zealand have claimed 13, with 26 games resulting in a draw. NZ have won the last three Tests, but those were hosted in conditions that suited them.
India are incredibly dominant at home, and the fact that they’ve only lost two Tests since the start of 2013 emphasizes that dominance. Even with Kohli and Rohit Sharma resting, India have a strong batting line-up along with a bowling unit that will be a nightmare for visiting batters.
New Zealand have plenty of holes in their side, especially their batting unit extremely vulnerable against spin in these conditions and will be dependent on Williamson and Ross Taylor. The bowling attack will be tested, with not much swing and seam on offer. Expect India to win the first Test comprehensively and go 1-0 up in the series.
