Pune: India assistant coach Ryan ten Deutsche on Tuesday said there is a battle for a spot between middle-order batsmen KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan for the second Test against New Zealand, although head coach Gautam Gambhir is keen to give the Karnataka batsman ample chances. . India are determined to bounce back after the eight-wicket defeat in the opening Test in Bengaluru. Now that Washington Sundar has also been included in the team, everyone’s attention will be on the team combination. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant would like to be fully fit for the match starting on Thursday. When asked by Ten Deutsche ahead of India’s practice session whether there is a fight for a place in the team between Rahul and Sarfaraz, he said , ‘There is no need to favor any one player in this. There is a fight for a place in the middle order. He said, ‘Sarfaraz performed well in the last match but Rahul’s form is not a matter of concern. He is in good mental condition. But definitely we have to fit six out of seven batsmen in the team for this Test match. We will take a decision on this after seeing the pitch.
Sarfaraz scored 150 runs in the second innings in the Bengaluru match, while Rahul could not perform well in both the innings. Ten Deutsche admitted that it is difficult to keep Rahul out of the Test format and head coach Gambhir also wants to give him ample opportunities. He said, ‘It is not that we are worried about his form. If you look at the last three months since Gautam took over as the head coach, he wants to give him (Rahul) as many opportunities as possible. We have full confidence in him.
Opinion: Why is Rohit Sharma the only villain of defeat, why not the only hero of victory… What kind of hypocrisy is this on Hitman?
Ten Deutsche said, ‘But at the same time there is a very competitive atmosphere within the team. Sarfaraz scored more than 150 runs (222 not out) in the Irani Trophy final. Any decision will be taken keeping in mind the interest of the team, but we will definitely support all the players. ‘ Pant did not keep wickets for most of the first Test match while Gill could not play in that match due to stiffness in the neck. Ten Deutsche said, ‘Rishabh is very good and it seems that Gill will also be available for this Test match. He took batting practice in Bengaluru. Then he seemed a little uncomfortable but now he seems ready.