Testing time

India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane gets ready for a net session at Kanpur yesterday. Pic/AFP

A lot will be at stake for Team India when they take on top-ranked New Zealand in the first Test at Kanpur's Green Park on Thursday. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane will look to marshal his relatively inexperienced troops in the absence of regulars Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

Although New Zealand have just two Test wins in India - in 1969 at Nagpur and 1988 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium (which is also the venue for the second Test), Rahane will look to avoid India's fourth consecutive defeat to the Kiwis. However, he made it clear that revenge will not be on his side's mind as they look to dominate the Kiwis in spin-friendly conditions.

Cheteshwar Pujara

The last time Rahane was asked about his poor form, he snapped at the reporter to check his "facts" ahead of the fourth Test against England at Ahmedabad last March. On Wednesday, when the Indian captain's poor form (averaging just 19.57 in 11 Tests this year) came up, the old Rahane calm and composure was on display again. "[I am] not concerned about my form. My job is to contribute as much as possible to my team. Contribution doesn't mean that you need to score a 100 in each game. Scores of 30, 40, 50 are also important," he said during the virtual media interaction from Kanpur.

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It's not just the Indian captain's form that will be under scrutiny. His deputy for the first Test, Cheteshwar Pujara is under the microscope too. The Saurashtra giant does not have a century to boast of since 2019. The approach of Rahane and Pujara was the most-talked factors for India's loss in the World Test Championship final to New Zealand. When asked what kind of discussion the Indian batting duo have had with the new coach, Rahane said: "Rahul bhai told us to back our strengths and keep it very simple; not to bother too much about it. Pujara and I know our game plans and we have been playing for so many years. So, it's all about keeping it simple and backing ourselves."

The captain also touched upon a special quality of coach Dravid: "He treats everyone equally. It is not that a player is treated based on his performance and this is a big thing," he said.

2016
The year India last won a Test match against New Zealand

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