Expecting the Kanpur wicket to turn and help our spinners says Ajinkya Rahane

Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane is expecting the Kanpur strip to turn and help the Indian spinners and believes the first game will set the tone for the long home season, consisting of 13 Test matches.

“It is exciting times for us with the 13 Tests scheduled at home. The West Indies tour went well for us. Some players also featured in the Duleep Trophy before the New Zealand series. We feel we are in pretty good space at the moment,” Rahane was quoted by PTI before India’s first match of the three-Test series against New Zealand, beginning on Saturday.

“It will be important to play series by series. We know our conditions here. Having said that, it is important that we respect the opponents in all the 13 Tests.”

After the New Zealand series, India next takes on England, Australia, and Bangladesh. The pitch at the Green Park, Kanpur has been the talk of the town once again and it is expected to be a turner.However, Rahane said his side are focussed on their job irrespective of the conditions.

“The weather is not in our hands but we have generally seen slow and low wickets here like it was in the ODI against South Africa last year. Every day (of the game) the pitch behaves differently so we will have to analyse it how it would play out each day. Anyway as a team we don’t focus on the pitch, we are more focussed on putting up a strong performance.

“Hopefully the wicket will turn. We all know in India that wickets are helpful for the spinners. That is our strength here and it is important for us to play to our strengths. As of now, we are not quite sure how the wicket will behave,” said the batsman.

Rahane also did not wish to undermine the New Zealand tweakers who proved quite expensive in the practice game where Mumbai scored 400 runs off their bowling unit on a single day.

“In a practice match, you are bound to try a few different things. The mindset is different of a warm-up and a Test match is different. They have very good bowlers and all three (spinners) are playing together. We respect them. We don’t take any team lightly. Our focus will be on not allowing them to settle into a rhythm,” insisted Rahane.

The 28-year-old also said the hosts are quite wary of the challenges that left-arm fast bowlers Trent Boult and Neil Wagner can pose in the series.

“After seeing their videos, we will be able get a better idea (on how to prepare against angling deliveries). As a batting unit, we have to think of batting over by over and session by session. In Test cricket, every session is important. Not only the fast bowlers but it is important to give respect to all their bowlers. New Zealand are a good team and also have an experienced batting line-up,” Rahane stated.

He added that he feels lucky to be a part of India’s 500th Test.“As a player, the focus will be on the match. If we win, it will be the biggest celebration. It will be a historic moment. All of us feel lucky to be part of it,” he added.