 "IND vs NZ: Will KL Rahul get dropped from India Playing 11 for 2nd Test?")
With Team India looking to bounce back in the second Test against New Zealand, the team selection has become a big talking point leading up to the match in Pune starting on October 24. Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that batters KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are up against one another for a spot in the playing eleven for the second Test.
While head coach Gautam Gambhir has been favouring KL Rahul for the spot in the eleven, it will be interesting to see how Sarfaraz's maiden Test ton changes his choice in the second Test. Check India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Day 2 LIVE SCORE and MATCH UPDATES HERE
"Yeah, there's no point in sugarcoating it, there's a fight for a spot," ten Doeschate told the media when asked if Rahul and Sarfaraz were battling for a place in the team, here at the MCA Stadium ahead of India's training session. "Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test. I went to KL after the last Test (and) said how many balls do you play at (and) miss at? He didn't play at (and) miss at one ball, and that's what tends to happen when you're not getting runs," ten Doeschate said.
"There's certainly no concerns about KL, he's batting nicely, he's in a good mental space. But we are certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what's going to be best for the team," he added.
Gautam Gambhir's faith in KL Rahul
Speaking about KL Rahul's inclusion in future Tests, Ryan said that the management has a lot of faith in the batter and that they want to give him chances to show his abilities as well.
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"It's not like we're worried about his form. If you go on just the past three months since Gauti has been in here, he's keen to give him (Rahul) as much rope as we can. We have a lot of faith in him," he said.
"But at the same time, it's a very competitive environment, with Sarfaraz getting 150-plus runs (222 not out) in the Irani Trophy final. The decision will be what's best for the team, but we'll certainly back all the guys in," he added.
Pant, Gill expected to be back
Players like Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, who are carrying injuries, are also expected to be back for the second Test as the duo are trying their best to attain match fitness.
"Rishabh is pretty good. I think Rohit (Sharma) touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed, he'll be good to keep in the Test as well," he said.
"He (Gill) looks so (available for this Test). He has batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets, he's got a little bit of discomfort, but I think he'll be good to go for the Test," he added.