Lethal Indian bowlers vs fighting NZ batters

Kohli-led India take on Kiwis in the final Test with huge expectations in Mumbai today

K.R. Nayar | NT

Traditionally, there is always an air of excitement before a Mumbai Test match. Today, when India takes on New Zealand in the second Test match, the expectations from the home team fans are even more. New Zealand had pulled off a creditable draw in the first Test match at Kanpur through their ninth-wicket partnership that withstood 52 deliveries.

It is not victories alone that lifts a team but such brave efforts too. New Zealand has exhibited that they are a fighting lot and can produce many more of such courageous acts that can be termed spectacular. The Kanpur Test was intensely fought and it was debutant Shreyas Iyers’ remarkable show that gave India the upper hand. For him, the Mumbai Test match will be special since it will be his first before his home crowd. India’s batting will be stronger with the return of Virat Kohli. This Test match will be his first after he had stepped down from the Twenty20 captaincy. It is also the first Test match in which coach Rahul Dravid and Kohli come together. Will this be a successful start for this new combination after the end of the Kohli- Ravi Shastri era?

It is not Iyer alone who will be playing his first Test match in his city of birth. New Zealand’s hero Ajaz Patel, who withstood the pressure during the last wicket partnership with Rachin Ravindra at Kanpur was also born in Mumbai . Patel was born in Mumbai in 1988, but he migrated to New Zealand in 1996 and went on to become the fifth Indian-origin cricketer to play for New Zealand. Left-arm spinner Patel may play a key role in this match as a bowler.

The wicket will be a key factor in this contest and it looks like a green top that can assist pace. The combination that India would need after Kohli re-joining the team will also play a role. The debate has been raging over who will be dropped to accommodate Kohli, but whoever wins the place in the playing eleven will have to give their best. New Zealand is the top-ranked team in Test cricket and to conquer them would need the best of efforts and combination.

It is a fact that home conditions can help Indian players, and the Kiwis are not unfamiliar with the conditions here. Most of them have not played in the IPL. There is also a rain threat that is also looming large over Mumbai, and most fans will pray that rain does not play spoilsport. The captain who wins the toss will have to take a shrewd decision assessing the weather conditions. Since both teams are equally balanced, every aspect that is needed to win matches will have to be assessed.

It’s nearly five years since a Test match is being played at the Wankhede Stadium after India played against England in 2016. In that match, Kohli had cracked 235 runs and India won by an innings and 35 runs. A similar show from the Indian captain and the team could help them win them this two-match series too.