Bengaluru, October 13
Ahead of the Test series against India, New Zealand coach Gary Stead lauded the number one Test side for their injury management, squad depth and their fine brand of cricket in their home conditions.
India will be hoping to continue their home domination as they take on New Zealand for a three-match Test series from October 16, starting with the first Test in Bengaluru.
Speaking to the reporters ahead of the series, Stead said if in case someone gets injured, it does not affect Team India like it does to others because of their bench strength. He also lauded the hosts for playing a fine brand of cricket that makes every tour to subcontinent a challenge for other teams.
"If they have an injury, it does not seem to affect them like other teams. There's someone else who can come in who is equally adept. They have the mass of numbers they can call but they are also very skillful and are an experienced team with a lot of Test caps. They play a brand of cricket that makes it very difficult for you over here but that is the challenge that is ahead of us," he said.
Notably, Team India does not have services of their pace veteran Mohammed Shami, who has been out due to an ankle injury, with his last appearance being the 50-over World Cup final last year in November against Australia. In his absence, pacer Akash Deep has made a name for himself, taking eight wickets in three Tests at an average of 23.12 and best figures of 3/63. He made his debut against England in the Test series earlier this year. Also, in absence of key players like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli, be it due to injuries or personal reasons, youngsters like Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan have delivered well whenever given a chance this year.
Also, India has been extremely dominant in Test conditions, having not lost a Test series at home since their 1-2 loss to England in 2012-13 season. Since then, India has won 18 successive Test series at home and are undefeated in a series since over 4,000 days. On the other hand, New Zealand suffered a 2-0 series whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka away from home recently. The Tim Southee-led side was blanked in the opening Test that went right down the wire with a 63-run defeat and lost the second Test by an innings and 154 runs.
India named a 15-player squad on Friday for the upcoming three Tests against New Zealand, beginning on October 16 in Bengaluru. For the Bangladesh Tests, with Rohit Sharma leading the side, India left the position of vice-captain vacant. But this time, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been officially appointed as Rohit's deputy for the three Tests.
Following the conclusion of the series, pacer Tim Southee decided to step down from the captaincy, and Tom Latham will lead New Zealand during the three Tests against India.
India's squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Travelling reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young.