Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant didn't keep for the most part of the first Test in Bengaluru after hurting his left knee.
Credit: DH Photo
Pune: India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that Rishabh Pant is mostly likely going to reprise his role as the wicketkeeper during the second Test against New Zealand here.
Pant did not 'keep for most of the match after he was struck on his operated (left) knee during the opening Test in Bengaluru last week. He did come out to bat and made a stellar 99 in the second innings, but you could tell he was still hurting every so often.
"Rishabh is pretty good. I think Rohit (Sharma) touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed, he'll be good to keep in the Test as well," he said.
Another update worth paying attention to was the inclusion of Washington Sundar to the squad after the Bengaluru Test. Ten Doeschate unveiled the management's motive.
"They (New Zealand) are filled with four left-handers in the XI. We've had Washy around the white-ball squad for a while and we like the way he operates. It's also nice to see that guys are getting rewarded for Ranji Trophy performance as well.
“We just want to make sure we're absolutely prepared for conditions here and if that does mean taking the ball away from the left-hander, we want that option,” he added.
India typically go into Tests with most boxes ticked, but the way in which their batters addressed New Zealand's seam unit in the previous Test left a lot to be desired.
Ten Doeschate, however, insisted that the team is not looking into those specifics. Rather, they're focussing on the overall picture and how to overcome the Kiwis.
“I don't think specifically to fast bowlers and when the ball is new, but playing a bit more to conditions is something we want to work on,” he said. "Obviously, that first innings was ridiculously tough with the ball seaming around. There will be other times when fast bowling is the right option to go after it."
On the topic of conditions, Ten Doeschate looked to sandbag their reading of the pitch in Bengaluru but maintained that they would. "We got it slightly wrong in Bengaluru, I don’t think it was a massive miss, the conditions just put us on the backfoot a bit. You can expect the preparation and the assessment of the wicket to be as close to perfect in the days to come," he said.