Meanwhile, in Test cricket, great Indian batsman Virat Kohli is having a difficult time and hasn’t been able to accumulate significant runs in a while. Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar responded that there isn’t much to worry about the form of the seasoned player, especially in home conditions, when asked about the preferred strategy for Kohli in the forthcoming Test in Bengaluru.
The 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand was revealed by the Men’s Senior Selection Committee. After the first Test match of the series in Bengaluru at the storied M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Rohit Sharma-led team will invite the BlackCaps to Pune for the second Test and Mumbai for the third.
“I don’t give Virat Kohli’s performance in a home series a lot of thought. The reason for this is that, according to Manjrekar alone, “Virat Kohli’s value will be fully realized when India goes to Australia because of the way he batted in South Africa when India were there in December of last year under trying circumstances.”
In addition, Manjrekar said that the 35-year-old performs at his best under the most trying circumstances and that India has triumphed in similar circumstances without heavily relying on Kohli’s play. When India travels to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024–2025, the Mumbai native said, he expects more from Virat Kohli.
Indeed, you want some runs in test matches, but India usually wins home series, so you don’t really need Virat Kohli to perform much.
It only happens when someone opposes the difficult task. That’s when someone like Virat comes in handy. When India was in South Africa, Kohli proved. Alright, let’s hope it passes. To be honest, I don’t think I have any advice on how to get runs in India. I’m going to have higher expectations for Virat Kohli in Australia,” the former cricket player continued.
The fact that Kohli has spent seventeen seasons with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League is worth mentioning. Obviously, having played in both IPL and international tournaments, Kohli is no stranger to Bengaluru’s surface conditions and has amassed a massive run total there. The crowd favorite will therefore be returning to his home field, and the supporters will be hoping for a massive run from the run machine.
Jasprit Bumrah becomes as India’s new vice captain.
The fifteen players selected for the Indian squad for the Test series against the Tom Latham-led team do not represent a major departure from the squad that played the second Test against Bangladesh, which finished last week in Kanpur. But the selection committee announced Jasprit Bumrah as the designated vice-captain and Rohit’s deputy.
The second Test, which will take place at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium from October 24 to October 28, will begin on October 16 in Bengaluru and conclude on October 28. For the third and final game at the Wankhede Stadium, the teams will travel to Mumbai following a four-day break.
Also Read: IND vs NZ: India squad announced, with Jasprit Bumrah named vice-captain
Captain Rohit Sharma ; Yashasvi Jaiswal; Shubman Gill; Virat Kohli; KL Rahul; Sarfaraz Khan; Rishabh Pant; Dhruv Jurel; Ravichandran Ashwin; Ravindra Jadeja; Axar Patel; Kuldeep Yadav; Mohammed Siraj; Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain); Akash Deep in the middle