Having won six of their last Tests against India, New Zealand will be confident of maintaining their dominance in home conditions. The tour will comprise five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests. India are set to face New Zealand in an all-format series starting on October 22. Among these fixtures, the two-match Test series is expected to attract the most attention, as both teams will be eager to boost their chances of qualifying for the 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Sanjay Bangar Names One “Motivating Factor” For Team India In Tests vs New Zealand
“We have two Test matches against New Zealand and five against Australia. India has done well overseas, even in England, Australia and South Africa but New Zealand has been a frontier which most teams have not conquered. No. And if India’s batting does click in the first innings of both these Test matches, then there is a possibility (of doing well). These factors are important for any travelling team in New Zealand to do well. Basically, score well and have a pace bowling attack which can take the majority of the wickets. Bangar also stated that the emergence of Devdutt Padikkal at No. “I think it settled down quite well. If you think once Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) were not part of the scheme of things, it took some time which was quite understandable. So, I think that is the most critical part.
Interestingly, India lost the inaugural WTC Final in 2021 to New Zealand and were later whitewashed 3-0 by the Kiwis in a home Test series in 2024. 1. 2, the wickets out there, they sort of take the spinners out of the equation. So, whether India will be having a combination wherein to take 20 wickets and having that seam bowling allrounder, that generally becomes the critical part. 3 has addressed several concerns in India’s batting lineup, particularly following the departures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . But now you have Devdutt Padikkal amongst the runs batting at 3, Shubman Gill is doing really well. “So, I think if you look at the 6 batters that might play, they do seem to have the experience of performing well in all conditions and add to that if (Ravindra) Jadeja plays at 7 and then you follow it up with 4 fast bowlers or whether they play 3 fast bowlers and 1 pace bowling all-rounder. That number 7 and 8 spot and more so the pace bowling all-rounder becomes critical to India having a good New Zealand series,” he added.
Ahead of the upcoming tour, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that the New Zealand series would serve as a “motivating factor” for the Indian players. So, I think that is going to be a motivating factor for this group of players,” Bangar told Hindustan Times . About one factor which Team India might find tough in New Zealand, Bangar said, “The thing is that generally they play to the dimensions really well, that is No. Dhruv Jurel has been a good addition and he has batted well even as a specialist batter,” he said.
