India Test preparations: pace trio to stay back in New Zealand

India Test preparations in New Zealand will include pace bowlers Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi staying on to assist the squad, coach Sitanshu Kotak said ahead of the third ODI in Hamilton. The Test series begins on November 19.

The three fast bowlers are part of the group playing the five-match ODI series. Kotak outlined plans for red-ball specialists to begin a camp on November 11, with five or six practice sessions expected before the Tests.

Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Anshul Kamboj are due to leave for Wellington after Tuesday's third ODI. The coaching staff will also divide duties between the two squads.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir is expected to remain with the ODI side for the matches on November 13 and 15 at Mount Maunganui. Morne Morkel and other staff members are expected to travel to Wellington.

Kotak cautioned that these arrangements remained subject to Gambhir's final decision. The aim, he said, was to give players sufficient practice, fitness work and appropriate workloads in the available conditions.

Seam-friendly pitches provide useful practice

India Test preparations have also benefited from the challenging surfaces encountered during the ODIs, according to Kotak. He said seam and swing had given both batting and bowling groups an indication of the conditions they might face with the red ball.

He also highlighted the value of the three unofficial Tests between India A and New Zealand A. Several members of the senior Test group participated in that series, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan.

Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna were also involved. Kotak said those matches helped bowlers assess useful lengths, the effort required on the surface and the assistance available from the pitches.

Also read: India New Zealand squads: Akash Deep returns, Iyer to lead last two ODIs | Shreyas Iyer reviews bowling after India's Auckland T20I defeat