IND vs NZ | Countering new-ball will be crucial for India, believes VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman believes that the outcome of India’s upcoming two-match Test series against the Kiwis might very well rest on how the batsmen deal with the new-ball against a quality New Zealand attack. Laxman further believes that the team would need to assert pressure by scoring big in the 1st innings.
In three days time, India, led by Virat Kohli, will be gearing up to play red-ball cricket in New Zealand for the first time since 2014 and this time around, the team will step foot onto Kiwi land as the world’s number one ranked Test side. The preceding Test series in New Zealand ended as a defeat for the then Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian side, who succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, but coming on the back of five successive Test wins, the Kohli-led team, this time around, will well and truly be the favourites in the series.
However, the Indian side will be up against a formidable Kiwi bowling attack comprising Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee, with the trio having helped New Zealand stay unbeaten at home for close to three years. Legendary Indian batsman VVS Laxman believes that a lot will rest on how the Indian batsmen tackle the new ball and asserted that the visitors would need to score big in the first innings to put Kane Williamson’s men under pressure.
“If we have to put pressure on the home team in their own conditions, you have to score big in the first innings. A lot will depend on how they counter the new ball attack of New Zealand,” Laxman told Star Sports, reported Hindustan Times.
And tackling the new ball for Kohli’s side will be two batsmen from the rookie trio of Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw, with the three having played only a handful of Tests between them. Laxman admitted that whosoever plays the first Test will be up against a stern challenge in testing conditions and voiced his concern over the form of Agarwal, who did not have the greatest of lead-ups to the Tests, having registered four single-digit scores in his last 7 innings.
“The biggest challenge will be for the young openers. Mayank Agarwal did not have a great ODI series, he also bagged a pair with India A. And then, whether it is Prithvi Shaw or Shubman Gill, they are inexperienced.”
The first of the two Tests will be played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on February 21, after which the sides will travel to Christchurch for the second Test on February 29 which will also mark the conclusion of the tour.
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