India vs New Zealand: Virat Kohli was run out in the last over.© AFP

New Zealand lead 2-0 against India in the three-match Test series© AFP

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday confirmed that uncapped seamer Harshit Rana will not take part in the upcoming third Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai. According to a report by ESPN on Tuesday, Harshit Rana was added to the India squad for the third Test match against New Zealand. However, India’s coach cleared the rumours ahead of the third Test. Harshit Rana has been with India’s white-ball teams ever since a breakout Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2024 with champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in which the pacer took 19 wickets at an average of 20.15 in 13 matches.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gambhir said that Rana has not been included in the Test squad. The India head coach added that the 22-year-old has come to Mumbai to work with bowling coach Morne Morkel and prepare for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy.

He added that the team management wants to use this time and make Rana prepared for the BGT.

“Harshit Rana is not part of the squad. He has just come here to prepare for the Australia tour, Abhishek (Nayar) made it clear yesterday. IPL retention has nothing to be spoken about, we have a Test match here,” Gambhir said.

The third Test is set to begin at Wankhede, Mumbai, on Friday, the same venue where New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel famously claimed 10 wickets in an innings.

India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (WK), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke, Kane Williamson, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry.

India have not added any extra player to their squad ahead of the third Test against New Zealand and also does not have any plans of resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah before the upcoming long five-Test series against Australia Down Under starting in November. Amid reports that the team management had called up Harshit Rana to train and bowl for the team ahead of the third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium, there was expectation that Rana could be added to the squad just like Washington Sundar was called up just before the second Test in Pune as the Delhi medium pacer is one of the bowlers picked in the Australia tour squad.

But on Wednesday, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar clarified that not extra player has been added to squad while also confirming that they have no plans of resting Bumrah despite it being an inconsequential Test as New Zealand has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. There has been concerns regarding the workload of Indian pacers in the last few years as many of them have broken down even during a series.

Bumrah has a history with injuries and thus there was hope that the team management would like to keep him fresh ahead of the Australia series. But Nayar said the team management is aware of his workload but feels that the seasoned pacer from Gujarat has not bowled too many overs in two Tests, which incidently ended prematurely, thus giving him some extra rest days.

“I think in the two Test matches he’s (Bumrah) bowled around 20, 25 overs. So he’s not bowled a lot. Yes, there’ll always be a thought process about his workload. Also, we played two games where we not at 5k cricket, it’s been more three, three-and-a-half days, so he could have rest. But Booms is very important to us and the workload will always be something on our mind,” Nayar said in a pre-match press conference at the wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Another reason for the team management opting against resting Bumrah is that the Wankhede pitch is expected to help seamers in the first hour or so every day.

“I always believe that Wankhede will always give pace a chance no matter what, especially when Mumbai winter doesn’t feel like it. But in the morning there will be a bit of moisture, there will be a bit of dew around. So you will expect the first sessions to have a bit of swing. I’m not sure of the pitche yet because it’s covered, but if the pitch is hard, then there will be a bit of swing as well. But at Wankhede, you will always see fast bowlers with a bit of a smile on their face in the morning,” said Nayar.

He said the Indian team needs do some self-reflection after losing a home series in more than a decade.

“Firstly, I will start with giving a lot of credit to New Zealand for the way they played and countered spin in the two Test matches. I feel that though the conditions will be different with a red-soil pitch. The last time we played on a red soil, which was in Chennai, a lot of the guys have been a lot of local cricketers and they understand what these conditions are and how the pitch is going to pan out. I think it’s more about, at this level, self reflection for every player to go in and understand their game plans,” he said.

“So for us, it’s more about self reflection and what we can do as a team. There’s always advantages, but I always believe that what you’ve done in the past doesn’t really matter in the present. It’s about how you turn up on that particular day,” he added.

Virat Kohli returned with poor scores of 1 and 17 during the second Test match against New Zealand at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. In his first innings, the right-handed batter was dismissed in an embarrassing manner. Kohli was cleaned up for one run off nine balls by left-arm orthodox spinner Mitchell Santner as he missed a full toss delivery while trying to work it on the leg side. Not only the batter himself, but the commenators and the fans were also left in shock over mode of the dismissal. Reacting to it, former Australia cricketer Brad Hogg has said that Kohli was not in control of his emotions during his short stay at the crease.

“They took New Zealand too lightly and they are trying to play catch-up cricket. All of a sudden, you saw that mindset shift with Virat Kohli in the first innings of the second Test. He was more aggressive, the way he strolled out there, the way that he was trying to attack the bowling. He looked as if he overanalyzing, he wasn’t in control of his emotions and it showed in the shot that he played when he got out,” Hogg said on his YouTube channel.

Unexpectedly fallen behind 0-2 in a home series, the Indian team has adopted some desperate measures to improve its batters’ outing against spot-on New Zealand bowlers, especially the spinners, as talks about a rank-turner for the third Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has dominated the pre-match talks.

The net session at the venue reflected the state of urgency the team management is in ahead of the final Test beginning on Friday, as even veteran batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have found the going tough in this rubber.

Ahead of the nets, they asked the staff to draw extended white lines along off and leg stumps at four practice nets, an exercise generally aimed at keeping batters aware of the line and lengths.

In the first Test at Bengaluru, the vaunted Indian batting line-up succumbed to the probing line and bounce, and in the second match at Pune they were outwitted by left-arm spinner Santner, who took 13 wickets across two innings.

More than the conventional spin, the Indian batters had no solution to Santner’s deliveries that pitched on the same spot at the MCA Stadium track but offered different results – some turning away while some straightening up.

So, it was clear that head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted his batters to enter the final Test with better preparation.

(With PTI Inputs)

India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has voiced confidence in stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, expressing faith in their return to form despite their recent struggles with the bat. He urged fans and critics alike to show patience. Kohli and Rohit’s rough patch has contributed to India’s recent struggles across formats, particularly evident during their 2-0 ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka, where both batsmen found it challenging to face spin. Their pursuit of form has extended from ODIs to Tests, as shown during the Bangladesh series and the two Tests against New Zealand. With New Zealand securing a historic series win with an unassailable 2-0 lead, attention now shifts to Rohit and Kohli, especially in their upcoming performances at Wankhede.

Nayar emphasised that effort is not lacking in either player, suggesting that it’s only a matter of time before they regain their rhythm.

“Everyone’s worked really hard; everyone wants to do well, whether it’s Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or a younger player like Shubman Gill. The effort is there,” Nayar said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“The approach is solid. They’re putting in the hard work, and sometimes, even the greatest players face tough phases. I’m certain we’ll soon have more to celebrate about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and others. It just requires a bit of patience,” he added.

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia commencing in Perth on November 22, Rohit and Kohli will be keen to regain form.

In India’s recent 2-0 victory over Bangladesh, Rohit managed just 42 runs across two matches, averaging a low 10.50. Kohli’s performance was also modest, with 99 runs at an average of 33.00.

The form of the veteran duo has been a significant talking point following the two Tests against New Zealand. The Indian skipper has so far scored only 62 runs, averaging 15.50.

Meanwhile, Kohli has accumulated 88 runs, including a counter-attacking 70 in the opening Test in Bengaluru.

The third Test is set to begin at Wankhede, Mumbai, on Friday, the same venue where New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel famously claimed 10 wickets in an innings.

Unexpectedly fallen behind 0-2 in a home series, the Indian team has adopted some desperate measures to improve its batters’ outing against spot-on New Zealand bowlers, especially the spinners, as talks about a rank-turner for the third Test here has dominated the pre-match talks. The net session at the Wankhede Stadium reflected the state of urgency the team management is in ahead of the final Test beginning on Friday, as even veteran batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have found the going tough in this rubber.

Ahead of the nets, they asked the staff to draw extended white lines along off and leg stumps at four practice nets, an exercise generally aimed at keeping batters aware of the line and lengths.

In the first Test at Bengaluru, the vaunted Indian batting line-up succumbed to the probing line and bounce, and in the second match at Pune they were outwitted by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who took 13 wickets across two innings.

More than the conventional spin, the Indian batters had no solution to Santner’s deliveries that pitched on the same spot at the MCA Stadium track but offered different results – some turning away while some straightening up.

So, it was clear that head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted his batters to enter the final Test with better preparation.

India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar gave a peek into the struggles of his wards, and said keeping a close watch on the spinners’ hands is important.

“You need to understand when certain balls are turning, certain balls are going straight, it tends to play with your mind.

At that point, it’s really important for a batter to understand how the ball is coming out of the hand, which balls are undercutting, which balls are over-spinning,” Nayar offered in the press meet.

Along with the technical nous, Nayar said, a batter should be able to tackle such a situation mentally as well.

“When that tends to happen, sometimes it can be intimidating when you see a ball turning and going straight on. When you play domestic cricket, you play on black soil pitches.

“But sometimes the conditions and the position that you are, the form that you are in, can get the better out of you. But you need to focus a little harder,” Nayar added.

For that, they summoned a retinue of net bowlers, 25 no less, with a good mix of local spinners and pacers who helped the senior players to go through their paces for the next three hours or so.

Almost every member of the Indian contingent had a long hit in the nets, including Mohammed Siraj, who played with Virat Kohli’s bat while unleashing a few big hits.

So, is it really a Bunsen burner on offer in Mumbai? While pitch reading is not a perfect art, the signs point to that.

The surface had a good grass cover in the morning, but it was soon battered down by a heavy roller, often believed to suck out moisture from the surface, which was operated across the pitch, particularly in the middle portion.

The ground staff, which had done light sprinkling of water on the surface, later switched to using a light roller for a short while before marking the creases and the pitch remained under cover as the sun baked down.

Rohit Sharma’s India trail New Zealand 0-2 in 3-match Test series© AFP

File photo of Wankhede pitch© BCCI/Sportzpics