Tezzbuzz Desk– The bats of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal remained silent in the first unofficial four-day Test match against New Zealand A. Both the Indian openers failed to make big partnerships in the first and second innings. The special thing is that Rahul and Jaiswal scored a total of 25 runs in both the innings. These two batsmen will be expected to give a strong start to Team India in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. In such a situation, his poor performance in red ball cricket can increase the concerns of the Indian team.
The two-Test series between India and New Zealand is scheduled to start from November 19. Before this series, Rahul and Jaiswal, playing for India A, had a chance to test their preparations, but both the batsmen could not take advantage of it. After the first innings, the performance of both in the second innings was also disappointing. In the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal was out after scoring only 5 runs. His wicket was taken by Simeon Keane. After this, KL Rahul also could not stay at the crease for long. Rahul returned to the pavilion after scoring only 4 runs in the second innings. He was dismissed by fresher sheet. In this way, both the openers together could add only 6 runs in the second innings. The team could not get the start it needed.
Earlier, even in the first innings, the performance of both the batsmen was not special. Yashasvi Jaiswal had scored 17 runs in the first innings, while KL Rahul could not even open his account. If we look at the statistics of both the innings, Jaiswal scored a total of 21 runs, while only 4 runs came off Rahul's bat. In this way, both of them together scored only 25 runs in the entire match. This performance is also important for the Indian team because the responsibility of opening the Test series against New Zealand is expected to be on these two batsmen. In Test cricket, facing the new ball in the initial overs is challenging. In such a situation, the role of openers is important in giving a strong base to the team. Batsmen like Rahul and Jaiswal are expected to play well in front of the new ball and give a good start to the team.
However, a player's full potential cannot be assessed based on his performance in one match. Both the batsmen will have a chance to regain their rhythm in the upcoming matches. But his failure like this in New Zealand conditions before the Test series is definitely a matter for consideration for the team management. Now the eyes of Indian cricket fans will be on the Test series starting from November 19. The form of Rahul and Jaiswal can prove to be important for India's batting in this series. If both the batsmen regain their rhythm in time, then the team's hopes of getting a strong start will increase.