Team India were rocked by three injuries to senior players ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, but that did not have any bearing on the result as the hosts crushed the Kiwis at the Wankhede Stadium to register their biggest victory in terms of runs—372—to win the match and series 1-0 on Monday.
One of the reasons for Team India’s dominance has been their solid bench strength as the players coming in grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Rahul Dravid, the architect, who has built this bench strength through his involvement at the U-19 and India ‘A’ level, insists it’s a case of more the merrier.
Options aplenty
“[It’s] great to see the boys stepping up and taking their opportunities. Yes, we were missing a few senior players. Credit to the guys who came in. Jayant [Yadav] had a difficult day yesterday [Sunday], but he learnt from it today. Mayank [Agarwal], Shreyas [Iyer], [Mohammed] Siraj don’t get a lot of opportunities. Axar [Patel]…great to see his development with the bat in addition to what he can do with the ball. It gives us a lot of options as well, helps us become a stronger side,” India head coach Dravid told the host broadcaster after the emphatic win.
India head coach Rahul Dravid. Pic/AFP
Yadav, who was playing a Test match after 2017 (against Australia in Pune), replaced Ravindra Jadeja and finished with a five-wicket match haul (1-13 and 4-49).
Patel, who claimed three wickets in the Wankhede Test and scored 52 and 41 not out, hasn’t looked back since he was drafted into the Test team for the England series in place of an injured Jadeja. Patel finished that four-Test series with 27 wickets in three matches.
Against New Zealand, in the first drawn Test at Kanpur, Patel claimed six wickets, including a fifer in the first innings.
Shreyas, who took captain Virat Kohli’s place in the first Test at Kanpur, slammed a century on debut and followed it up with a half-century in the second innings.
Agarwal, who had to sit out of the England tour due to concussion, was back in the opener’s position after KL Rahul got injured. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his 150 and 62 at Wankhede.
It will be interesting to see how things unfold when the rested seniors return to the team in the near future. Dravid feels good communication will be the key going forward.
‘Good headache to have’
“It’s a good headache to have, to see young boys perform well. There’s a great desire to do well and everyone’s pushing each other. I hope we have more such headaches. As long as we have clear communication and we explain to the players why [they are not in the playing XI], I don’t see it as a problem,” said Dravid.
Also Read: Virat Kohli: The Indian team are expected to win everything, but that’s not realistic
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