PUNE: Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir backed K.L. Rahul to regain his batting form, while New Zealand prepared for a trial by spin in the second Test between the sides beginning in Pune on Thursday.India’s proud record of not losing a single Test series on home soil since 2012 is on the line after New Zealand beat them by eight wickets in the series opener in Bengaluru.

The hosts were bundled out for 46 in the first innings and a vastly improved 462 in the second was not enough to prevent New Zealand from going 1-0 up in the three-Test series.

Rahul, who was trolled on social media after his scores of zero and 12 in Bengaluru, appears to have slipped behind Sarfaraz Khan in India’s batting pecking order.

Sarfaraz smashed a rapid 150 in the second innings to justify his selection after Shubman Gill missed the match with a stiff neck.

Gambhir confirmed a fit-again Gill would resume his place but also backed Rahul, who smashed a half-century against Bangladesh in Kanpur last month, to come good.

“Social media does not matter one bit,” former India opener Gambhir told reporters on Wednesday.

“What the team management and leadership group thinks is very important.

“I think he is batting very well and had a decent knock in Kanpur on a difficult wicket.

“I am sure he also wants to score big runs and he has the capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team...”

Gambhir also said that Rishabh Pant will be fit to keep wicket in the second Test after an injury scare.

Pant hit 99 at Bengaluru in his first Test appearance since a near-fatal car crash in December 2022 as India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets.

While keeping, Pant hurt the same knee that was operated on after the crash that sidelined him for more than a year, and did not field for large parts of the match.

“He will keep wickets in the game tomorrow,” Gambhir told a news conference on Wednesday.

Given the presence of several left-handed batters in the New Zealand line-up, India are also considering playing off-spinner Washington Sundar, the coach added.

Gambhir said finalising Ind­ia’s playing XI, which would be revealed at Thursday’s toss, was a “challenge” as well as indicative of the depth in the side.

He also praised India’s fearless batting in the second inni­ngs despite the first-innings collapse.

New Zealand, meanwhile, expect an under-pressure India to revert to their traditional strength and roll out a turning track in Pune.

Skipper Tom Latham said that New Zealand had been buoyed by their historic Test victory in India but must now adapt fast to a likely turning track.

New Zealand won the opener on a seaming pitch in Bengaluru for their first Test triumph in India since 1988 but face a different challenge in the second match.

“Whatever we are presented with, for us, it’s about trying to adapt as quick as we can,” said Latham, whose men are trying to seal New Zealand’s first-ever series win in India.

“If it is going to be a wicket that turns a bit more, we have obviously got four spinners in our line-up, so fingers crossed that will play into their hands.”

Ajaz Patel leads New Zeala­nd’s spin attack. He became only the third bowler in Test history to claim all 10 wickets in an innings at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in 2021.

In the first Test at Bengaluru, New Zealand bowled out India for 46 and went on to win the match by eight wickets.

The victory has injected the Black Caps with confidence, Latham said.

“That’s probably the most important thing, that we can come over here, we can compete and we can do well,” he said.

But he cautioned: “Both teams start on zero.”

New Zealand will be without Kane Williamson for a second straight match with the star batsman recovering from a groin injury back home.

Their batting has stood up with Will Young (33 and 48 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (134 and 39 not out) performing well in the first Test.

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra said, “We had a brief look at [the pitch] yesterday. It definitely looked very dry, very spin-friendly.

“It’s something we thought they’d do after that test. Hon­estly, we’ve just got to adapt to what’s in front of us.”

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024