1st Test: India all set to take on New Zealand; focus on Rohit and Kohli

Rohit, who played 15 innings this year, has made two hundreds but managed only one fifty in the remaining 13, totaling 497 runs in eight Tests at just over 35

Bengaluru: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, the torchbearers of transition, will have to be India’s driving force in their quest to lord over an unsettled New Zealand in a three-Test series, beginning here with the first match here on Wednesday.

The baton has not been completely passed, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are certainly running their last lap and these two young superstars will have to show that they can carry forward the legacy of the titans. The signs, so far, are bright. Since a productive series against England earlier this year, Gill is now more familiar and comfortable with the rigours of Test cricket.

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His last 10 innings contain three hundreds and two fifties, while Jaiswal’s last eight outings in Test cricket feature a 214 and five fifties. Those numbers are not to be scoffed at. But at the same time, it is important for them to build on the foundation through this series against the Kiwis, a precursor to the much tougher journey to Australia next month.

Gill seemed to have sorted his issues with the in-coming deliveries from pacers, but a trace of the old failing still remains. In Chennai, Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahamud troubled him with nip-backers before eventually grabbing his wicket.

Similarly, Jaiswal has a penchant to go for expansive shots against pace bowlers to get dismissed, evidenced by his three dismissals recently against Bangladesh quicks. In all, the left-hander has fallen to pacers 12 times in 20 innings that he has played till now, and he would want a better record before facing a clutch of top-class Australian pacers Down Under.

While these concerns are not deeply rooted, they serve as cautionary points against a New Zealand attack that has capable hands in pacers Matt Henry, William O’Rourke and the experienced Tim Southee, if he gets to play here after a sharp decline in his form. There is another angle to the emergence of Jaiswal and Gill as the pillars of the Indian line-up, as Kohli and Rohit have not precisely set the field ablaze.

Rohit, who has played 15 innings this year, has made two hundreds but managed only one fifty in the remaining 13, totaling 497 runs in eight Tests at just over 35. Kohli, 53 runs shy of 9,000 Test runs, has not made even a fifty in six innings this year, and while Rohit often perishes in his attempt to grab the momentum away from opponents, his colleague offers a much more curious case.

The 35-year-old Kohli has not been able to convert the two starts he got this year, ending up with 46 (vs SA) and 47 (vs Bangladesh), stirring the uncomfortable memories of that great slump between 2019 and 2023. The master batter will also have to keep an eye on New Zealand left-arm spinners – Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra – the tribe who has been a thorn in his flesh in the past.

Aside that, it has been a while since these two stalwarts embossed their mark across a full series, and a nervy New Zealand could be their golden chance to do so and take flight to Perth in a bullish mood. India has only minor concerns, but New Zealand’s troubles across batting and bowling departments are more pronounced.