India v New Zealand, Test series: 5 Indian players to watch out for

The upcoming Test series between India and New Zealand is slated to commence at Kanpur from 22nd September. While the Indian squad is yet to be declared, the Kiwis have already announced their 15 member squad which is to be led by Kane Williamson. The Test series will witness various world class players like Kohli, Williamson, Guptill, Ashwin, Santner, Rahane and many more set to battle it out on the field. It has always been a difficult task to defeat India at home. While Kiwis would be looking to take out a leaf from their book, India would be thriving on some wonderful performances from their crop. Here we take a look at 5 players to watch out for from the Indian side. 1. Virat Kohli India captain Virat Kohli gestures for his outfielders. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) Undoubtedly India’s best bet as a batsman when it comes to any format of the game. Kohli has already marvelled in challenges that have come on his way. With this being only his second venture as a captain at home, one will expect him to come out all guns blazing with the bat. In the test format, he has not been able to keep up with his consistency in the limited overs format. His form has been quite indifferent in Test. While he got a brilliant double hundred in the first game at the Carribean islands, he failed to deliver anything special thereafter. With the Kiwi series to be played at home, this gives Virat a perfect opportunity to improve his Test record. Thus to make amends of being more consistent in this format of the game, he would be looking to leave no stone unturned against the Kiwis. Also read – Anil Kumble impressed and ‘blown away’ by Kohli’s captaincy 2. KL Rahul Lokesh Rahul of India celebrates his century after hitting a Six. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) The man who has sealed his spot in all three formats within 3 months. Talk about the man in form and KL Rahul is here. In the three innings, he got to bat in West Indies, Rahul stood tall with a splendid century and a half century and showed the cricketing world what he was made of. With the kind of form and valour he has shown, it won’t be surprising to see his career stats shoot up by the end of the series. Opportunities come rarely and Rahul doesn’t seem like someone who’s going to miss it. Filled with patience and perseverance, what’s more admirable about him is his will to stay at the crease and not succumb under any kind of pressure. With the kind of form KL Rahul has displayed recently, the Kiwi bowlers well be wary of him. Also read – Chris Gayle reckons a big future ahead of KL Rahul 3. Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin of India celebrates his half century. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) The man of all seasons, all formats and all departments for India. The contribution of Ravichandran Ashwin has been highly significant in the last few series wins for India. Being the frontline spinner across all formats, his effectiveness and accuracy with the ball have played a huge hand in India’s success. He earned the man of the tournament for the Windies tour not only for his world class bowling but also some serious batting. Along with the 17 wickets he got, there were 2 sensational centuries to back them. With the Kiwi tour at home where conditions would be favouring turn, Ashwin will prove to be deadly and cause some serious trouble to the likes of Williamson and co. Also eyeing the milestone of 200 Test wickets, Ashwin would be keen to complete it in the first Test itself. His judicious use of the carrom ball has baffled batsmen in the past and it would be interesting to see how the Kiwi batsmen respond to that. Also read – Sanjay Bangar and VVS Laxman deserves the credit: Ravichandran Ashwin 4. Ravindra Jadeja KOLKATA, INDIA MARCH 18: Ravindra Jadeja during the practice session at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata.(Photo by Pankaj Nangia/India Today Group/Getty Images) While Jadeja was superb in the lone Test he played , he didn’t quite get an opportunity to make a lasting impression at West Indies. Jadeja has furnished some fine performances at home and bowled outstandingly well in the recent past. Talk about him making the Australian batsmen dance to his tunes in 2013 or last year where he made a great comeback to the Test side against South Africa and appalled his critics with some stunning performances. He has got the scurrying turn and pace in his arm to make life difficult for the Kiwi batsmen. With the home pitches likely to assist spin, Jadeja would be a lethal weapon with the ball. Also with India likely to go ahead with 5 bowlers, He would be looking forward to prove his mettle with the bat as well. Also read – Ravindra Jadeja’s sister files a complaint of cheating 5. Ajinkya Rahane Ajinkya Rahane of India celebrates his half century. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) Rahane has time and again proved his versatility with the bat. There has not been a single series in the last 3 years where Rahane has failed to make his mark as a batsman. While notching up some top performances overseas, Rahane also put up fantastic display against South Africa at home last year. In a series dominated by spinners, Rahane was the only batsman to register a hundred that too twice in a single game. He was also the second highest run getter against West Indies in spite of playing just 4 innings which included a scintillating century and a fifty as well. Many times, he has dragged India out of quirky situations where the game seemed to be going the other way. Rahane as a lower order batsman has set up a high bar of expectations. As a batsman, he has always strived to improve and the Kiwi bowlers might well find him as a force to reckon with. Also read – 9 out of 10 times, Dhoni will win matches: Ajinkya Rahane

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India v New Zealand, Test series: 5 Indian players to watch out for

2. KL Rahul

Also read – Chris Gayle reckons a big future ahead of KL Rahul

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