Pacers To Stay Back, India Adapt New Strategy For Crucial New Zealand Tests

The white-ball pace trio of Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, and Arshdeep Singh will stay back to help the Indian Test squad prepare for the crucial World Test Championship series against New Zealand starting on November 19, assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Monday. The three are currently a part of the squad that is engaged in a five-ODI series against the Black Caps. The third game of the assignment will be held in Hamilton on Tuesday. "I think three bowlers are going to stay back anyway. Gurnoor, maybe Nabi, and I think Arsh is also staying back," Kotak said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

The former Saurashtra batter also said that the Test specialists will start their preparations from November 11 with skipper Shubman Gill, senior opener KL Rahul, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and pacer Anshul Kamboj leaving for Wellington after the third ODI game here on Tuesday.

"All in all, I think the preparation has been very good. On top of that, the Test players will go for a camp from the 11th, where we will get five or six sessions. Fingers crossed, we should be ready for the Test series as well."

The coaching team will also split with head coach Gautam Gambhir staying back for the fourth and fifth ODIs scheduled on November 13 and 15 at Mount Maunganui in Tauranga.

"As far as I understand, Gautam will obviously have to be here because of the upcoming World Cup. So, he will stay here. Probably, Sairaj (Bahutule) will also stay here," Kotak said.

"Morne (Morkel) and some other members of the staff will go to Wellington. These are the current plans, but as I said, the final decision is up to Gautam. So, things can change.

"We will just try to ensure that the players get the required workload, fitness and practice. They should get enough preparation, depending on the conditions available to us," he added.

Seaming tracks good for Test preparation

Kotak agreed with New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi that challenging tracks at Eden Park in Auckland and Hnry Stadium in Wellington helped both batters and bowlers prepare better for the Test matches.

"In hindsight, it is a good thing because similar conditions can occur in Test matches. Only the ball will be red. The intent and mindset will be different in one-day cricket, but the conditions give us an idea of what to expect," Kotak said.

He also indicated that around 12-14mm of grass is expected to be kept at the Basin Reserve, something that is par for course in this part of the woods.

"The wickets here have thicker grass, around 12-14 mm, and the conditions provide a good indication of what we might encounter in Test cricket. Even though the Test wickets may have more grass, there isn't much green on these wickets. But they are still good conditions to play in, and they are challenging."

India A game helped bowling unit

Kotak also believes that the three unofficial Tests between India A and New Zealand A helped the Test specialists in understanding the tracks and what can be expected during the five-day games.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna are some of the Test regulars who have taken part in the A series.

"A lot of India A-related matches have also involved our red-ball players. That is a big advantage for the batters as well as the bowlers.

"The bowlers get an idea of where to bowl, what lengths to target, how much to hit the deck and how much assistance they can expect from the surface."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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