India will take on New Zealand in the first Test at Kanpur from Thursday
The Indian cricket team went through an intense fielding drill followed by a lengthy net session at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand. Head coach Rahul Dravid supervised the training session as players sweat it out in the middle. India go into the first Test without regular captain Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the first match of the series. Senior opener Rohit Sharma has also been rested for the entire series along with premier fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and first choice wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant.
A detailed video of India’s training session was shared on Instagram with the caption, “Getting match ready. #TeamIndia get into the groove for the first @Paytm #INDvNZ Test in Kanpur.”
It will be interesting to see India’s team combination for the first match. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane has revealed that middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer will make his Test debut in the encounter.
In a big blow to the already depleted line-up, opening batsman KL Rahul was ruled out of the series on Tuesday due to a muscle strain on his left thigh.
India has started the second cycle of World Test Championship in great fashion as they lead the Test series against England 2-1. The last match of that series will be played next year as it was postponed due to COVID-19 related concerns.
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India’s form at home has been outstanding to say the least, as they have won all 11 Test series under Virat Kohli’s captaincy on home soil so far. India last tasted defeat at home in 2012-13, when MS Dhoni’s team went down 1-2 to England. It must also be noted that New Zealand has never won a Test series in India and have managed to draw only twice.
India completed a clean sweep of 3-0 over the Blackcaps, the last time they had toured India in 2016-17.
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