'That disappoints me greatly' - Ian Smith not happy with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma missing Test matches

With Kohli and Rohit being vital cogs of the Indian team, Healey wanted them to play both matches.

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Ian Smith and Virat Kohli
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Ian Smith and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Team India will have a point to prove as they host New Zealand in a two-match Test series, starting from November 25 in Kanpur. While India haven’t lost a home Test series since 2012, many big names are unavailable for this assignment. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant have been rested for the entire series while regular skipper Virat Kohli will give the first Test a miss before joining the team for the second game.

Meanwhile, Former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Ian Smith is not happy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision of resting big-name players from Test matches. Smith is upset by the fact that players are giving Test matches a miss nowadays. With Kohli and Rohit being vital cogs of the Indian team, Healey wanted them to play both matches.

Players being rested from Test matches disappoints me greatly: Ian Smith

“India have left out Kohli and Sharma, it intrigues me actually that we’re resting people in Test cricket these days, that disappoints me greatly,” Smith told sen.com.au on Tuesday. For the unversed, these players have been rested as per BCCI’s new policy of managing workload.

As Kohli and Rohit have been playing continuous cricket since the World Test Championship final against New Zealand earlier this year, the Indian cricket board decided to give them a breather.

Meanwhile, Smith also reckoned that New Zealand should go with three spinners in the Kanpur Test, given the nature of the spin-friendly sub-continental pitches. He also revealed the playing XI he would like to see skipper Kane Williamson field in the opening Test.

“You’ve got to have (Neil) Wagner so when you get in trouble, he can try and bowl you out of it with his stamina,” said Smith, indicating that he wants speedsters to bowl longer spells to challenge India’s batting line-up. Interestingly, Smith didn’t name veteran pacer Tim Southee in the playing XI. He instead inducted Jamieson and Neil Wagner in the attack.

Ian Smith’s Playing XI for New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra, William Somerville, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner.

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