Kolkata Test: Upbeat India look to win against New Zealand, regain No 1 slot

Indias captain Virat Kohli C talks with teammate Gautam Gambhir as Rohit Sharma R looks on during a training session in Kolkata on September 29 2016 on the eve of the second cricket Test match between India and New Zealand at Eden Gardens PicAFPKolkata India will not only look to wrap up the threeTest series against New Zealand but also keep an eye on regaining the No1 spot in the ICC Test Championships rankings when the two sides renew their acquaintance at the Eden Gardens here on FridayIndia were the No1 Test team for a short while during their tour of the West Indies but failed to rubberstamp their position as the fourth Test was washed out after only 22 overs of play on the first day at the Queens Park OvalArchrivals Pakistan made the most of the involuntary gaffe to become the numero uno side in the longest version of the game for the first time as they gained 111 points in their drawn series against EnglandAt home though India have been impregnable over the last few years and a win in the series second Test will once again catapult them to the top of the heap besides clinching the threeTest series India now lead 10 after a 197 run victory in the first Test at KanpurA draw would make India unbeaten at home for 13 Tests in a row the longest since February 15 1980 when England beat India by 10 wickets to end a 20match unbeaten streak The feat will be befitting as the game is slated to be Indias 250th Test match on home soilThe hosts though suffered a blow when inform opener KL Rahul was ruled out due to a hamstring injury opening the door for seasoned campaigner Gautam Gambhir to make a comeback into the Indian team after a twoyear hiatusIt remains to be seen whether Gambhir makes it to the final eleven or Shikhar Dhawan of late patchy gets the nodUncapped Haryana offspinner Jayant Yadav has also received a callup with pacer Ishant Sharma still recuperating from the chikungunya mosquitorelated illnessThe 26 year olds inclusion underlines the thinktanks inclination towards drafting in more spinners against the visitors who are struggling to cope with Indian tweakersIn the first Test tweakers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja turned the knife on the visitors by accounting for 16 of the 20 wickets that fell in the two inningsIn the batting department Cheteshwar Pujara hit back at his critics by scoring 62 and 78 at a much improved strike rate of 5688 and 5131 at Kanpur The talented willower would hope to continue in the same veinUnder scanner batsman Rohit Sharma who justified his selection with an unbeaten 68 in the second innings at Kanpur has always loved to pile up runs at the EdenCaptain Virat Kohli who did not get runs in the first Test would be eager to come up with a big score on the iconic ground where he averages only 966 in two matchesThe Eden pitch generally a slow turner has grass sprayed all over it and though according to sources the Indian team management has asked for heavy pruning it remains to be seen whether it will be as spinfriendly as the hosts would like it to beIf the pruning is at all done India could consider opting for three spinners as early indications at the teams first practice showed Amit Mishra who did not play the first match could be drafted in along with Ashwin and JadejaNew Zealand who have played India at the Eden only twice 195556 1965 with both matches ending in draws have been wracked by injuries Spinner Mark Craig who was especially included in the squad keeping in mind Indian conditions has now been replaced by 36year old Jeetan PatelFurthermore batting allrounder Jimmy Neesham who did not play the first match is also sidelined owing to injuryNotwithstanding the emphatic Indian victory at Green Park the Kiwis led by topdraw batsman Kane Williamson were by no means pushoversWe need to dominate for longer sessions coach Mike Hesson said of the Black Caps performance in the first TestBoth teams will be hoping that rain stays away for all five days despite a Met office prediction to the contraryFor the record India have lost to New Zealand only twice on home soil while winning 14 of the 32 encounters Sixteen matches have ended in stalematesThe squadsIndia Virat Kohli c Shikhar Dhawan Ravindra Jadeja Ajinkya Rahane Cheteshwar Pujara Amit Mishra Ravichandran Ashwin Wriddhiman Saha Rohit Sharma Bhuvneshwar Kumar Mohammed Shami Umesh Yadav Murali Vijay Jayant Yadav Gautam GambhirNew Zealand Kane Williamson c Doug Bracewell Matt Henry Luke Ronchi Ish Sodhi Henry Nicholls Neil Wagner Trent Boult Martin Guptill Tom Latham Jeetan Patel Mitchell Santner Ross Taylor BJ Walting