Rain may heavily impact first India-NZ Test starting today
BENGALURU: The only people who braved the relentless rain and made it to the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Tuesday were the ground staff.
Continuous rain left roads in the city waterlogged and the traffic in a mess, but at the stadium, all was quiet and peaceful on the eve of the first India-New Zealand Test.
More rain has been forecast for the next two days, jeopardising the first of three Tests between India and New Zealand. But if the elements relent by Wednesday morning, a game would be on, thanks to the state-of-the-art SubAir drainage system at the venue.
Weather permitting, there will be plenty to look forward to from Rohit Sharma and Co. They have momentum on their side and will be keen to get as much game time as possible ahead of the meatier five-Test away series in Australia next month.
For over a decade, India have dominated at home, quite unlike any other Test-playing side, a fact that has been rarely acknowledged amid the euphoria surrounding the country's white ball success. An 18-series winning streak at home underlines their mastery of the format.
The Indians have been fine ambassadors of the long format, putting those who believe Test cricket has a foot in the grave to shame with a fearless, exciting brand of cricket.
They have consigned talk of surfaces and advantages to the bin, owning every pitch they have played on. They have conjured wins from near-impossible situations and their star cast has fired the imagination.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday underlined the team's philosophy, which is to produce an environment where players employ their natural instincts without the fear of failure.
The home series against England offered ample proof of the emerging talent. Five players - Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal - made their debut and were impressive.
The team without Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant won the series 4-1. The think-tank's eye for detail and investment in the future is reflected in their pick of the travelling reserves.
As skipper Rohit Sharma said, "I understand that some of them have not played a lot of red ball cricket, but when you see talent, you want to try and groom it and bring it as close to the team (standard) as possible.
"In a short period, they have shown they have some ability. We want to keep them with the team and see whether they will be ready for international cricket, especially Test cricket. We want to create a bench strength. We don't want to be worried or too heavily reliant on a few individuals."
Against the red-hot home side, the Black Caps will have their task cut out. Coming off a two-match thrashing in Sri Lanka, among the few positives they will take from the loss to the Islanders is acclimatisation to sub-continental conditions, especially since their one-off Test against Afghanistan was abandoned in Noida last month.
Among the batters, barring Rachin Ravindra (153), Kane Williamson (138) and to some extent Glenn Philips (131), the others hardly got an eye in. To compound the visitors' woes, Williamson has been ruled out of at least the first Test with a groin strain.
If there was a sunny side to the annihilation in Lanka, it would be the familiarity with conditions the bowlers experienced after toiling against a formidable home side.
There is a cloud of uncertainty about Tim Southee making the cut but given the overcast conditions and the variety at his disposal, his place in the XI may just be safe.
