The 500th Test match and the pitch in Kanpur are two major talking points ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. And, it came as no surprise that India Head Coach Anil Kumble was asked about his opinions of the pitch at the very beginning of his media address here in Kanpur to which he replied with an acknowledging grin, “I feel it will be a typical Kanpur wicket. The pitch looks good, but I feel the talk should be about the cricket played on the pitch rather than the pitch itself.” Kumble was quick to stress on the fact that the nature of the pitch was secondary whereas adaptability is what the team would be looking at.
“The discussion with the players has been about adapting according to the pitch conditions. In terms of our preparations, we have spent a lot of time focusing on preparing to play spinners and how to respond to playing spinners. And it will only improve, which you’ll notice as the series go by. When it comes to the bowling department, we will play on the pitch that is on offer and we will enter the field thinking that our spinners are better when it comes to experience and quality. There will be spin on Indian pitches, but once the first ball is bowled on the day of the Test match, everyone’s opinions will be formed. As the match progresses we will make our plans,” he continued.
Shifting focus to the New Zealand camp, Kumble was of the view that their opposition had a potent 3-man spin attack and an impressive team overall. “New Zealand has done well at home and they tour well. They have three spinners in their side. Yes, we have watched them and I have watched Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in the T20 World Cup who played a significant role in the progress for New Zealand. It is heartening to see spinners playing a major role in Indian teams and foreign teams as well. We respect the opposition and we know that New Zealand is a very potent all-round team. They have three different variations in the spin department which is something you don’t see in a foreign team.”
News from the bowling department was that Ishant Sharma would be missing the first Test match owing to Chikungunya but the team management has not felt the need for a replacement at this moment. Ishant Sharma is recovering from chikungunya and he won’t be available for this Test match,” Kumble said. “We will be closely monitoring his progress with the doctors and then we will take a call about his fitness after this Test match. For this Test match, the team management has decided that we won’t need a replacement. We have 14 players and we will do the selection from the fourteen.”
