After the clean sweep in the T20I series, the focus now shifts to the two-match Test series between India and New Zealand. With the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant being rested, KL Rahul was to get the perfect opportunity to play in Test again, however, he was ruled out due to injury as the team geared up for the first Test at Kanpur.
However, Rahul’s injury was a big blow to the Indian team, but the situation most likely could also give an opportunity to Shreyas Iyer who is looking to make his debut in the longest format of the game.
Iyer is expected to make his Test debut at the No. 4 spot with Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill opening and Cheteshwar Pujara coming in to bat at his usual No. 3 position.
While Iyer is expected to fill in for the void left open by Virat Kohli, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane will follow him at the No. 5 spot. However, fans even believe that if not Iyer, then KL Rahul’s replacement – Suryakumar Yadav – could also take the No. 4 spot.
Fun fact: Shreyas Iyer hit his 1st FC fifty in Kanpur (Modi Stadium) in 2014/15 when Suryakumar Yadav was the captain.#IndVsNZ
— Sravan (@Sravan_457) November 24, 2021
My XI for #INDvsNZ test tomorrow.
Mayank Agarwal
Shubhman Gill
Cheteshwar Pujara
Shreyas Iyer
Ajinkya Rahane
Srikar Bharat
Ravindra Jadeja
Axar Patel
Ravichandran Ashwin
Umesh Yadav
Mohammed Siraj/ Ishant SharmaThis XI bats till 10. Srikar ahead of Saha because he can bat.
— (@AakarshTweets) November 24, 2021
Shreyas Iyer in tests. Actually Vihari shud have been given a chance.
— Niren Solanki (@NirenSolanki) November 24, 2021
Lot of people here are under estimating Shreyas Iyer.
The next decade belongs to him.
Wait for him to troll you all with his performance.
— 149 (@DivyaK18_) November 24, 2021
While fans discuss these players, Wriddhiman Saha could be set to take up the spot behind the stumps in the absence of first-choice wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently made an impressive comeback to India’s T20I side, also be part of the playing XI along with another spinner Axar Patel.
Among the pacers, Mohammed Siraj is all but certain to feature and there could be a choice between Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav for the second seamer’s spot.
