India vs New Zealand: Bengaluru front and centre but Australia in the periphery

All three of Yadav, Reddy and Rana were present in the training session on Monday -- Tuesday's session was cancelled after incessant overnight rains -- but this isn't going to be a one-off.
Australia's Peter Siddle, is congratulated by teammates Steve Smith, centre, and Australia's Mitchell Starc, left, after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Ross Taylor during their cricket test in Adelaide.
Australia's Peter Siddle, is congratulated by teammates Steve Smith, centre, and Australia's Mitchell Starc, left, after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Ross Taylor during their cricket test in Adelaide.Photo | AP
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BENGALURU: While elite sports teams will largely focus on the job at hand, they will also have one eye on the immediate future. Now, Bengaluru will be front and centre but they are already making moves to more or less treat the next eight Tests as a kind of package deal. That's a lot of Tests to play in two different continents in the next 80 or so days.

At the press conference on Monday, head coach Gautam Gambhir had said, "This (first Test at Bengaluru) is probably the start of looking at eight Tests in a row." That's why the travelling posse includes Mayank Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana and even Pradeep Krishna, a tall bowler who can hit the deck, an invaluable skill, especially in Australian conditions.

All three of Yadav, Reddy and Rana were present in the training session on Monday -- Tuesday's session was cancelled after incessant overnight rains -- but this isn't going to be a one-off. "The reason we wanted to keep them close to us was because we are thinking of taking them to Australia," Sharma said during the pre-match press conference.

"We just want to monitor them. A lot of these guys have had injuries in the past. It's important that we try and build them up and see what kind of options we have. We want to create bench strength, we want to create a group of fast bowlers where we have eight or nine options. So we want to try and do that."

Shami may miss more cricket

This kind of thinking has, at least in part, been prompted by Mohammed Shami's continued absence from competitive cricket. Reading between the lines, Shami, who last played for India at the 50-over World Cup in November, is certain to at least not be international match-ready before the start of the Australia series (November 22).

The skipper confirmed that the speedster has had a swelling in his knee during his rehab process (he has been out of action following the left Achilles heel injury late last year).

"He had a swelling in his knee, which was quite unusual while he was in the process of getting fit," Sharma added. "That put him back a little bit in his recovery. He had to start again. Right now, he's now at NCA. He is working with the physios, the doctors. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We want him to be 100 percent fit. More than anything else, we don't want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us."

While there's no hard and fast rule, the unwritten pathway back for a fast bowler, coming back from injury, is to play a few domestic games before earning their spot back in the national team. Sharma said that the pathway back for Shami would be something on similar lines. "It is quite tough for a fast bowler having missed so much cricket," he said. "Suddenly to come out and be at his best, it's not ideal. We want to give him enough time to recover and be 100 percent fit. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he plays international cricket. We will see where he is after this New Zealand series. Then take a call at what stage of Australia he will be fit for us."  
Bengal are due to play Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy encounter on November 6, two weeks before the first Test at Perth. One wonders if that may be the match when the 34-year-old takes baby steps towards making his comeback.  

The other thing to consider is Krishna's lack of bowling time. Even though he's part of the travelling party, he bowled only eight of the 140 overs Karnataka sent down against Madhya Pradesh in Indore. So they may monitor him at the nets during the NZ series.  

Bumrah clear second in command

Also, do bear in mind that they also made their stance on the next in line if Sharma was to miss a Test during the Australia series. After not naming a deputy for the two-match series against Bangladesh, Bumrah has a vice-captain next to his name for this series. While Sharma side-stepped reports that he would miss at least one of the Tests Down Under, he said 'Bumrah has played a lot of cricket'. "He understands the game pretty well. He's got a good head on his shoulder. When you talk to him, he understands the game.

"He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. So, over the past, he's always been in our leadership group."

If -- Bengaluru's weather radar suggests a lot of foul weather over the first two days of the Test -- and when the two teams walk out to the middle for the anthem, the hosts know what's in store. Considering Gambhir has talked up the need to be adaptable and flexible, don't rule out a Kanpur-like situation playing itself out again if the team desires quick runs.

However, they will also not forget the larger picture. A need to self preserve as a big run of eight Tests sandwiched between three months begins in earnest.    

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