IND vs NZ: Ajinkya Rahane or Cheteshwar Pujara, who will be replaced by Virat Kohli in 2nd Test?

In the absence of most top players, it looked like senior players like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara would hold the baton for India against New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur. However, the two were not able to do much with the bat as the batters got out cheaply in both innings.

With the return of Virat Kohli in the 2nd Test, it would be interesting to see who he would be replacing in the playing XI. In the first Test, Shreyas Iyer made his debut and was batting at the No. 4 spot – which is Kohli’s position. However, seeing his performance, it is unlikely that Rahul Dravid would want to change him.

So the big question arises, who will make place for the Test skipper in the second Test?

In the first Test, stand-in skipper Rahane scored 35 and 4 in the two innings, while Puraja managed to score 26 and 22 on his stay at the crease. The two senior batters surely did not make much impact on the scoreboard.

India had scored 345 in the first innings courtesy to Shubman Gill’s 50 and Shreyas Iyer’s debut century. The Men in Blue bowlers also got the Kiwi side out for 296. With Kohli’s inclusion to the squad will see at least one cricket from the current playing XI missing out.

Virat Kohli’s preparations for 2nd Test:

The Indian skipper began his preparation for the second Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai. The second game will start next Friday, December 3. The captain was rested since India’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and will be seen back in action during the 2nd Test. 

So making his comeback, Kohli was seen fine-tuning his batting with former batting coach Sanjay Bangar in a net session in Mumbai.