The Indian national cricket team is putting in a lot of effort to prepare for the final test of the final match against the New Zealand national cricket team. The match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1 (Friday).
With just a couple of days left for the final test of the series, the hosts have begun their preparations. They are making sure to check almost all the boxes correctly. According to Indian Express reports, the Gautam Gambhir-led management is learned to have requested 35 net bowlers, which include an array of spinners.
The team management asked the MCA to allow the net bowlers during the first full practice session
Reports claimed that the team management asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to allow the net bowlers during the first full practice session. This comes after Mitchell Santner wreaked havoc on the hosts’ batting line-up in the Pune Test.
The last-minute decision to retain 35 net bowlers comes in an attempt to nullify the threat of Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner took a five-wicket haul in both innings of the match and returned with figures of 13 for 157, third best by a visiting bowler in India.
Indian team desperate to avoid blanking in series against New Zealand
Reports claimed that the hosts are desperate to avoid the whitewash and therefore asked the curators to prepare the player for the final game. This means that the Rohit Sharma-led team will play the same combination as they did in the last match.
The home spinners have had great success at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Two top spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, had their moments at the spot and helped the team win many games apart from the series.
In the five games at the venue, Ravichandran Ashwin took 38 wickets at 18.42, the highest tally of any bowler at this venue. On the other hand, Jadeja, who has only played one match at the venue, has only taken 6 wickets for the team.
India faced two consecutive defeats in the first two Tests against New Zealand
India faced two consecutive defeats in the first two Tests against the New Zealand national cricket team. They faced a massive loss of 8 wickets in the first game and then took a 113-run thrashing in the second game at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
This was the first time the Rohit Sharma-led team faced a Test series defeat at home in 12 years. They also lost crucial points in the World Test Championship, which saw their path to the final take a major hit.
To stay in contention now, they need to win the next match in addition to 3 matches in Australia. They would hope to come back strong and book their place in the finals of the tournament.