An early autumn morning in this part of the country is easy to predict. Once the southeast monsoon starts to withdraw, the days begin to shorten rapidly and the Sun starts to play hide and seek.
With an active disturbance in the Bay of Bengal, Bengaluru's overcast skies and damp underneath conditions wouldn't have been out of place in New Zealand. That, however, will be of scant relief to the visitors whose upcoming assignment — win a series in India — is the hardest in the game today. Think about it as an extreme adventure sport; like a mountaineer going up Mount Everest from base camp with a faulty oxygen cylinder.
That's even before you consider the Black Caps' record in India. Two wins in 36 Tests, with the last win coming in the winter of 1988. Out of the 15 players in their squad, only one, Ajaz Patel, was even born when Richard Hadlee and John Bracewell bowled them to a famous win at the Wankhede.
Since that Test, they have featured in 19 further ones. Their record? 10 losses and nine draws. Of course, this isn't just a New Zealand problem. Other teams — better ones, in fact — have landed on these shores with hope only to head back with bruised bones and shattered egos. For the record, India, three wins away from assuring themselves of a spot in next year's World Test Championship final in England, is chasing a 19th consecutive series win on home soil. If recent history is anything to go by, this can safely be billed as a series between unstoppable force and a movable object.
When India's coach Gautam Gambhir was asked about India's invincible record at home — he was one of the two openers when the hosts last lost a series (England in 2012) — he said 'Indian cricket has always been fortunate'. "Just the quality (why has India been invincible at home for a long time)," he said during the press conference on Monday.
"I think we always have the quality in our backyard. Not only when I was playing, probably before me as well, when we had people like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh... I think it's just the quality of players which we have got. And Indian cricket is always fortunate and Indian cricket will always be fortunate with the kind of talent that will come through from a first-class structure."
That first-class structure has given this current iteration an embarrassment of riches. So much so that Kuldeep Yadav isn't assured of game time. The 43-year-old mentioned that they were yet to nail the combination on what looked like a fairly true strip when it was briefly left uncovered before the Indian team's practice session.
"It depends on the conditions, depends on the wicket, depends on the opposition as well," he said. "The best part about this dressing room is that we've got so many high-quality players in there. We can select any of them and we know they can do the job for us. That's what is called the depth. We will have a look at the wicket tomorrow (Tuesday). We will have a chat and see what is the best combination to do the job."
What complicates matters for New Zealand is they are in the middle of a careening transition period. Out of the 11 who featured in the WTC final in 2021, only three are in line to start the first Test on Wednesday (Devon Conway, Tom Latham and Tim Southee). Some of their proven performers have either quit the game or have not signed central contracts. They are also coming into the series with a new permanent captain at the helm.
Tom Latham, during an interaction with the NZ media last week, promised to give it a good go. "Hopefully we can go over there and play with a bit of freedom, with no fear and try to take it to them," he had said.
"We have seen teams That have done well there in the past have been quite aggressive towards them, especially with the bat. They have looked to play a few shots but also put them under pressure, which is really important."
The key is teams have seldom struck a balance between attack and defence. England were ultra-successful in one Test and came close in a couple of other Tests but the pressure, as always, ultimately told. If the Kiwis are to use the gray, overcast skies as a blank canvas to etch an unforgettable victory song for the ages, they will have to come up with a resistance from another age.