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After the two teams played out a gripping, nail-biting draw in the Kanpur Test, the series will be on the line when New Zealand takes on India at Wankhede stadium from December 3.
The first Test saw the Kiwis hold onto to a draw in the last session of the day by one wicket. India posted 345 runs on the back of debutant Shreyas Iyer’s century and fifties from Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja. The Black Caps responded with a 151-run opening stand between Tom Latham and Will Young. But they eventually conceded a lead of 49 runs after getting bowled out for 296.
The NZ seamers were outstanding in the second innings, reducing the hosts to 51/5. But Iyer once again stood tall and bailed out the team with a fifty along with Wriddhiman Saha, who top-scored. India gave NZ a target of 284 with over a day to bowl them out.
The Kiwis were excellent in the first two sessions, being 118/2 at one stage. Indian bowlers then struck at regular intervals and reduced NZ to nine wickets down with over half an hour to go. Rachin Ravindra and no. 11 Ajaz Patel dug deep to play out eight overs, before bad light stopped the play.
Both the teams bagged four points each from the drawn Test towards the World Test Championship. India will be bolstered with the return of captain Virat Kohli and will be eyeing a full 12 points from the second Test. New Zealand have a great chance of winning their first-ever Test series on Indian soil.
Key players
Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket and incredibly impactful at home. The left-arm spinner has 232 wickets in Test cricket from 57 matches at a terrific average of 24.84. He has claimed nine five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul in his career. Jadeja adds immense value with the bat, having scored over 2000 runs at an average of 33.76. He has been India’s one of the most consistent batters in the last two years, averaging over 40. Jadeja was terrific in the first Test, scoring 50 with the bat and picking four wickets in the fourth innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin is amongst the most impactful cricketers in Indian cricket. The off-spinner just became the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket. He has 419 wickets from 80 matches at a magnificent average of 24.48. Ashwin has claimed a stunning 30 five-wicket hauls along with seven 10-fers in a match. The 35-year-old is a handy customer with the bat, having scored over 2700 runs at an average of 27.88. Ashwin bowled brilliantly in the first Test, but the numbers didn’t do justice with only six scalps to his name. He also contributed 38 & 32 with the bat.
Kyle Jamieson has had an incredible start to his Test career, becoming the quickest New Zealand bowler to cross fifty wickets. The tall pacer gets extra bounce and has the ability to move the ball both ways. Jamieson has picked 52 wickets in only nine Tests at a mind-blowing average of 15.05.
The right arm seamer has five five-wicket hauls and a 10-fer to his name in this short period. Playing his first match in the subcontinent, Jamieson was mighty impressive at Kanpur, picking up six wickets. He also has batting potential and has scored nearly 300 runs at an average of 35.5.
Tom Latham is amongst the best opening batters in red-ball cricket and has done extremely well for New Zealand over the years. The left-hand batter has amassed 4203 runs in 60 Test matches at 42.03. Latham has registered 11 hundreds and 22 fifties in this format, with the highest score of 264*.
Latham was brilliant for the Kiwis in the first Test, scoring 95 in the first innings followed by 52 in the second. He will once again be a key player in the NZ batting unit.
Prediction
India have had a dominant head to head record against New Zealand, with 21 Test victories compared to NZ’s 13. But if the recent years have shown anything, it’s that this New Zealand side is extremely good and will push you to the limit in any conditions.
India have a question mark over their batting unit, with the return of Kohli. It’ll be interesting to see whom they leave out. Irrespective, their batting unit will still be strong for these conditions, and they bat till no. 9. The bowling attack has three outstanding spinners in Ravi Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel. Umesh Yadav has a terrific record in India, and Mohammed Siraj is also a quality option.
New Zealand have one of the best Test openers in the world in Latham. Young has been impressive in his short career. The experienced duo of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor needs to do better. The bowling unit comprises Tim Southee, who has been one of the best seamers in red ball cricket, and Jamieson, who was terrific in the first despite playing only his first Test in the subcontinent. Neil Wagner’s addition could further strengthen the side.
Wankhede’s pacey and bouncy track could suit the visitors better but the gap in quality between the two teams is still significant enough to make India favourites heading into the match.
