India vs NZ - Gautam Gambhir backs KL Rahul, but will he play in Pune?

India coach Gautam Gambhir has vehemently backed KL Rahul to come good amid mounting scrutiny on his recent form in Test cricket. After making a duck in India’s 46 all out in the first innings of the Bengaluru TestRahul was dismissed for 12 in the second as India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets.

“You don’t pick players on social media because of social media or for that matter even what the experts are saying,” Gambhir said on while addressing Rahul’s form on the eve of the second Test in Pune. “What the team management thinks and what the leadership group thinks is very, very important. Ultimately, everyone is judged.

“International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone’s performance will be judged eventually. But I feel that he [Rahul] is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur [against Bangladesh] obviously, on a difficult wicket. And obviously, he played according to the plans as well. And I am sure, I think, he would also be knowing that he wants to score big runs and he has that capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team management.”

While Rahul has built a strong body of work overseas – he has hundreds in South Africa, England and Australia – his average of 33.87 is the lowest among all specialist batters to have played at least 50 Tests for India.

With Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test because of neck stiffness, set to bat at No. 3 in Pune, India will have to make a choice between Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored his maiden Test century in Bengaluru. Sarfaraz, who took a short break after the first Test because of the birth of his child, rejoined the India side and trained in Pune on Wednesday.

While Sarfaraz might have the edge over Rahul after his 150 in Bengaluru, Gambhir did not reveal which way the team was leaning.

India also have another choice to make between left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and offspin allrounder Washington Sundar, who was added to squad after the defeat in Bengaluru. Apart from boosting India’s spin stocks on a dry, black-soil surface, Washington could add depth to the batting line-up. In his most recent red-ball game, in the second round of the Ranji Trophy, he made 152 at No. 3 for Tamil Nadu against Delhi.

“We just felt that probably they [New Zealand] have four or five left-handers in the playing XI,” Gambhir said of Washington’s inclusion in the squad. “That if we want to have another bowler who can take the ball away from the left-handers, it is always going to be useful for us. But we haven’t still decided what is going to be the playing XI.

“We believe that probably there are two [left-hand] opening batters and Rachin [Ravindra] in the middle order. So, we feel that if Washy can give us more control in the middle, it is always going to be good for us.”

While managing the workload of the fast bowlers remains a priority for India’s team management heading into a five-Test tour of Australia, Gambhir suggested it won’t be done when the series is on the line against New Zealand in Pune and when crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake. For India to seal their place in the WTC final, irrespective of other results, they need at least four wins and one draw (52 points) in their remaining seven Tests, which will give them 65.79 percentage points.

Gambhir, though, said the team was monitoring the workload of Jasprit Bumrah, who has played each of India’s three Tests so far in this home season.

“Once the [New Zealand Test] series is over, we still have around 10 or 12 days before the Test starts in Australia,” Gambhir said. “So, that’s enough break for our fast bowlers. But we will still monitor after the Test match where Jasprit Bumrah is. But it’s not only about Jasprit Bumrah. It’s about all the fast bowlers. We want to keep them fresh. We know that obviously we’ve got a long tour and an important tour of Australia.

“But workload management will definitely depend on what the outcome of this Test match is and how much have they bowled in this Test match.”

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