Shreyas Iyer To Make Test Debut Against New Zealand, Says Stand-in Skipper Ajinkya Rahane
KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant are being rested with an eye on their workload in recent times
Mumbai: India stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane on Wednesday confirmed that Shreyas Iyer will be making his Test debut in the opening game of the two-match series against New Zealand in the Green Park Stadium on Thursday.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the opening game, Rahane said: “Shreyas Iyer is going to make his debut.”
After winning the T20I series against NZ, the Indian side has higher expectations of fans. However, the team will play without the services of three top-class batters KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
KL was ruled after suffering an injury, while, Kohli and Rohit have been rested with an eye on their workload in recent times.
India has also given rest to Rishabh Pant, and it needs to be seen what combination head coach Rahul Dravid feels comfortable with. The spin department is well taken care of as Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja are all available for selection.
With Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammed Shami resting, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are expected to be the first choice pacers, looking at the experience they have and Kanpur wicket is also expected to offer some reverse swing as the game progresses on.
When it comes to the batting scheme of things, Mayank Agarwal is set to have Shubman Gill at the top. This series will be extremely important for Rahane and Pujara looking at how eyeballs have been on their performances in the past.
Talking about New Zealand, Kane Williamson will mark a return in the Test series, having taken a break from the T20I.In the absence of Pacer Trent Boult, the pace bowling department is taken care of by Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner.
One needs to see how spinners Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, and Mitchell Santner perform in the series as the heavy workload will fall on their shoulders looking at how Indian pitches deteriorate as the Test progresses.
India and New Zealand will play their first test match from November 25 to 29 at Kanpur.
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