Team India, who sit atop in the ICC World Test Championship points table with seven wins from the same number of games will hope to keep their winning run when they lock horns with New Zealand in the two-match series starting from February 21 in Wellington. Meanwhile, it will be a challenging effort for Virat Kohli & Co coming from the back of a 0-3 whitewash in the ODIs.
However, the top-ranked Test side had a good warm-up game with cricketers getting a good go against the New Zealand A side. The bowlers continued their brilliant runs while the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Hanuma Vihari showed evidence that they will are not ready to give up an inch without fighting.
Meanwhile, this Indian side is a perfect blend of young cricketers alongside the legends of the game. The likes of Prithvi Shawn, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant to name a few will look to stake their claims in red-ball cricket.
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On that note, let us take a look at three Indian cricketers to look out for in the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has been knocking the doors for quite some time now. However, due to the presence of star-studded cricketers in the line-up, Gill is yet to break into the playing XI. But with top players out owing to injury, the cricketer from Punjab has a good chance of making it to the final XI.
The young batting prodigy has been in sensational form despite failing to put runs under his belt in the three-day warm-up match. Gill has amassed a double hundred, a fifty, and a century in three innings against New Zealand A to gear up for the Test series.
Gill will be a player to watch in the upcoming two-match series if he manages to sneak into the playing XI.
Rishabh Pant
The young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant is going through a poor form and has lost his place in the playing XI in the limited-overs. However, he is likely to return to the Test side after missing the home season with Wriddhiman Saha playing ahead of him due to his top wicket-keeping skills.
Meanwhile, with India touring India abroad, Pant is likely to take up the job after his dream run in Australia and England. The Delhi lad geared up for the red-ball cricket with a brisk knock of 70 runs and all eyes will be on the youngster as he makes to seal his spot in the playing XI.
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Navdeep Saini
The young fast bowler from Delhi has been impressive ever since he made it into the Indian team on the back of his superb bowling for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Navdeep Saini has impressed in the limited-overs although he is yet to make it into the Test side.
The presence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Ishant Sharma have made it hard for the youngster. But the upcoming series against New Zealand can be a great opportunity for Saini to grab the eyeballs of the national selectors considering the pace friendly wickets where his raw pace will come in handy.