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PUNE, India : India head coach Gautam Gambhir backed K.L. Rahul to regain his batting form, while New Zealand prepared for a trial by spin in the second test between the sides beginning on Thursday.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday threw his weight behind under-fire batter KL Rahul, saying it's the team management's opinion that matters and not the criticism that he is facing on social media. Rahul was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru and made 12 in the second essay as the hosts lost the game by eight wickets. But it appears Gambhir is ready to give him a long rope.
It has been a tough few months for Indian cricket team fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. The pacer has struggled to produce a good show with the ball and with four wickets in the series against Bangladesh and two wickets in the first Test match against New Zealand, he has been facing a lot of criticism. Ahead of the second Test in Pune, questions have also been asked off the team management with many suggesting that Akash Deep should replace the struggling Siraj in the playing XI.
The Indian cricket team management decided to add all-rounder Washington Sundar into the squad for the remaining two matches following the loss against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru. It was a sudden decision taken by head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management with many fans and experts wondering if it was done out of 'desperation' after the loss. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate denied any such reports and said that the decision was taken in order to add a bowling option to the side who can take the ball away from the New Zealand left-handers.
As India collapsed to 46 all out in the first Test against New Zealand, former India cricketer Manoj Tiwari criticised not only India's selection, but also the apparent lack of common sense in certain decisions taken by the team. Tiwary criticised captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir, emphasizing that their decision to bat despite an entire day being washed out due to rain as a bizarre decision. He also critiqued Gambhir further for not being able to guide Rohit Sharma in his selection process.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday that middle-order batters KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are locked in a selection battle for the second Test against New Zealand here even though head coach Gautam Gambhir is keen to give the former, a long rope. With India looking to bounce back from the eight-wicket thrashing at Bengaluru in the opening Test, focus will be on the team combination with Washington Sundar being added to the squad. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are both aiming to shake off injury concerns for the match starting Thursday.
New Zealand won a Test in India for the first time in almost 36 years, beating the hosts in the opener of three-match series in Bengaluru on Sunday. The visitors reaped rewards after dismissing India for a record-low total of 46 in the first innings. New Zealand had replied to India's first innings with 402 then dismissed India for 462 in their second innings. The visitors then chased down 107 with eight wickets to spare, thanks to an unbeaten partnership of 75 between Will Young and Rachin Ravindra.
Pakistan won a Test on home soil after a gap of more three years on Friday, beating England by 152 runs in the second match in Multan to level the three-game series 1-1. Pakistan's new selection committee made some unexpected changes to the squad for the last two Tests, dropping the likes of star batter Babar Azam and pacer Shaheen Afridi. The decision received mixed response from fans of Pakistan cricket. While some suggested that dropping out-of-form batter Babar was a mistake, others hailed the new selection committee for making the right call.