India vs NZ – Gautam Gambhir backs KL Rahul, but will he play in Pune?

“International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone’s performance will be judged eventually. But I feel that he [Rahul] is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur [against Bangladesh] obviously, on a difficult wicket. And obviously, he played according to the plans as well. And I am sure, I think, he would also be knowing that he wants to score big runs and he has that capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team management.”

While Sarfaraz might have the edge over Rahul after his 150 in Bengaluru, Gambhir did not reveal which way the team was leaning.

“We just felt that probably they [New Zealand] have four or five left-handers in the playing XI,” Gambhir said of Washington’s inclusion in the squad. “That if we want to have another bowler who can take the ball away from the left-handers, it is always going to be useful for us. But we haven’t still decided what is going to be the playing XI.

“We believe that probably there are two [left-hand] opening batters and Rachin [Ravindra] in the middle order. So, we feel that if Washy can give us more control in the middle, it is always going to be good for us.”

Gambhir, though, said the team was monitoring the workload of Jasprit Bumrah, who has played each of India’s three Tests so far in this home season.

“Once the [New Zealand Test] series is over, we still have around 10 or 12 days before the Test starts in Australia,” Gambhir said. “So, that’s enough break for our fast bowlers. But we will still monitor after the Test match where Jasprit Bumrah is. But it’s not only about Jasprit Bumrah. It’s about all the fast bowlers. We want to keep them fresh. We know that obviously we’ve got a long tour and an important tour of Australia.

“But workload management will definitely depend on what the outcome of this Test match is and how much have they bowled in this Test match.”