Virat Kohli during the practice session ahead of India vs New Zealand 3rd Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It’s high time India’s batters come good in the first innings
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

So dominant has India been at home, especially in the last decade, that visiting sides rarely have the upper hand in India. But over the next five days – despite the rest of the country being in a festive mood – Rohit Sharma and Co. will have to deal with the dreadful thought of India being whitewashed in a Test series, that too at home!

What seemed unthinkable till a fortnight ago appears to be a real possibility over the next five days. Tom Latham’s New Zealand has already created a record in Pune by winning its first series in India, and being the first team to beat India in India since 2012. The upbeat Kiwis will be hoping to shatter another streak, of completing a clean sweep in India by a visiting team in almost a quarter of a century.

Albeit in a two-Test series, South Africa had beaten India 2-0 in 2000. Since then, India has never found itself in such an awkward territory. Add to it the Wankhede Test match being India’s last outing ahead of a gruelling five-Test tour to Australia and the last of the home season Tests becomes even more important.

That’s not it. Thanks to the sorry losses in the last two weeks, India finds itself in a precarious position when it comes to qualifying for the World Test Championship final. Winning four of the remaining six Tests – including the Wankhede Test – is a must for India to have a clear passage into the WTC final.

Considering all the facets, it’s high time India’s batting comes good in the first innings. The lack of a good first innings total – 46 followed by 156 in entirely different conditions in Bengaluru and Pune, respectively – is concerning. In this aspect, India will be banking on the three hometown heroes – captain Rohit, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan – to set the tone.

Barring Rohit, the other two have had at least one notable knock in the series so far, while Jaiswal has been the stand-out India performer this calendar year. If the trio can give the home fans a reason to rejoice, especially in the first innings, India can hope to board a plane to Australia next week high on confidence.

But the conditions at the Wankhede are set to be starkly different than the hometowners are used to. The surface at the Wankhede Stadium is likely to be a turning track – posing a challenger as severe as, if not worse than Pune – contrary to the hard deck they are used to on the red-soil surface.

A well-oiled Kiwi spin combination will be licking its fingers based on the surface. After all, Ajaz Patel – the hero of the last Test at the Big W, in 2021 – and Mitchell Santner – who ran away with the honours last week in Pune – occupy the top two slots in the list of overseas spinners with best match-figures in a Test in India.

India will be hoping for the veteran spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin to come up with a trademark bowling show in tandem. Unless the spin duo sizzles and the batting unit dazzles, India will find it extremely difficult to stop an on-song Kiwi unit.

The teams (from):

India: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (Capt.), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee and Will Young.

India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar on Wednesday (October 30, 2024) insisted that they do not ask for tailor-made pitches in Tests and also backed out-of-form legends Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, saying that they must be given “space and time to come back”.

After copping first-ever Test series loss at home in 12 years, India will strive to salvage their pride when they clash with New Zealand in the third and final Test from Friday (November 1, 2024).

Playing on a track that assisted spinners, India lost the Pune Test by 113 runs. It is being speculated that the pitch at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai could again favour the spinners.

Nayar refuted suggestions that turning tracks are being made at the best of the team.

“I wish we could curate pitches, but we don’t. The curators do. Whatever we’re provided with, we go on and play (whether) that’d be a pitch that seamed or a pitch that turned,” Nayar said on eve of of the final Test.

“As cricketers and as a team, we try and play what we’re provided with. We don’t try and get conditions according to what we want.”

Rohit, Kohli in poor form

Both Rohit and Kohli are woefully out of form, and that has impacted team’s performance.

Nayar said there was nothing wrong with the modern-day greats and all they need is just a bit of time and backing.

“I’ve seen nothing but love for them all over. When a top player, when someone who’s been through the journey, goes through a lull, a lot of times it’s about giving them their space and trusting that they will come back. They will put in the work,” he said.

“Everyone’s worked really hard, everyone wants to do well, whether you’re Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma or even someone as young as Shubman Gill. The effort is there.”

“The approach is great. I feel they’re putting in the hard yards. Sometimes, sometimes you’ve got to be a little patient, even with the greatest of players, and they can have tough times. I’m pretty sure sooner rather than later, we’ll have more to praise about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and everyone else as well. (We need to have) just a bit of patience,” he said.