India remain undecided on playing three spinners in the second Test against Bangladesh with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar saying that the nature of the pitch and overhead conditions on the morning of the match will influence the decision-making. (More Cricket News)
Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has prepared two pitches for the game beginning in Kanpur on Thursday.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir had a look at the two pitches during the optional training session on the eve of the match at Green Park Stadium.
Rain is predicted on the opening day as well as on day three. India had played two spinners and three pacers in Chennai.
If India opt to play three spinners in Kanpur, the extra spinner could be either Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav. Asked if Kuldeep will get to play at home, Nayar was non-committal.
"To be honest, I don't know which surface we are going to play on yet. Both the pitches look pretty good. Kanpur is often known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet," Nayar said during the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
"With the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting, when we turn up in the morning, how the conditions are. A lot will depend on that because as you know in Test wicket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays.
"It is too early for us to judge and decide or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur," he said adding that all the players are available, fit and ready to go.
Nayar expecting turnaround in KL Rahul's Test fortunes under Gambhir
KL Rahul has been around for a long but has not established himself on the Test side. In 51 matches, he has scored 2901 runs, averaging 34.12.
"Sometimes it is just direction and I feel KL is someone who understands his game very well. In South Africa, he played tremendous knocks. We are very hopeful... the kind of combination that Gautam and I have had with him that hopefully, we can have a turnaround in KL as well.
"These things sometimes take time. But I feel the way he is batting, even in the last game, I know we did not end up giving him much of a shot in the second innings. And I am pretty sure going forward you will see the expectations and the performances that you have from him. "
Fitness aware players
The Indian team's fielding is world class and an example of that was Yashasvi Jaiswal plucking a one-handed catch to dismiss Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan off Jasprit Bumrah at gully in the second innings in Chennai.
Nayar said they are not doing anything special but a general awareness about fitness has changed the game.
"We haven't introduced much. Overall, right from when Virat took over, the emphasis on fitness has directly resulted in better fielders. If you look at Indian cricket on the whole or even the IPL or domestic cricket, you will see a growth in fielding.
"And I always believe that fielding is directly proportionate to your fitness. If you are fit enough, if you can move, if you are agile, you will be able to be in position.
"A lot of domestic cricketers and cricketers in general have emphasized being fitter and I think that has directly resulted in a much fitter, faster and agile Indian team. "
The Indian team doesn't have a designated vice-captain and Nayar said it does not need one.
"You've got a lot of captains, ideal captains in this team. The thought process of these youngsters is of a senior player. ..and with the likes of Virat, and Rohit in the dressing room, it just speeds up that process wherein you're learning a lot faster. "
When asked if India expect Bangladeshi spinners to be more in the game compared to Chennai, Nayar added: "I'm not one for expectations. I've always believed expectation is the mother of all s***-ups. For me, it's just about going there and seeing what happens on that particular day.
"When there is weather around, you're always very careful. So you don't want to go in expecting the ball's going to turn too much or the ball's going to sink. I just feel we like to take it as it comes," he added.
