“The
physios
are
in
touch
constantly
with
the
head
coach
Rahul
(Dravid)
and
obviously
Virat
(Kohli)
now
and
as
we
get
closer
to
the
game,
we
will
take
a
call
and
see
what
condition
he
is
in,”
Mhambrey
said
at
the
virtual
press
conference.

Stiffness
in
the
neck
did
not
allow
the
India
wicketkeeper
to
take
the
field
on
day
five
of
the
first
Test
against
New
Zealand
at
the
Green
Park
Stadium
in
Kanpur
on
Monday
(November
29).

‘Super
Sub’
KS
Bharat
impresses
one
and
all,
Saha
has
competition
for
second
keeper’s
slot

K
S
Bharat,
who
could
make
his
debut
on
Friday,
kept
the
wickets
in
his
absence.

Saha
scored
a
fighting
61
not
out
on
day
four
to
give
India
a
handy
lead
after
the
hosts
were
struggling
at
51
for
five
at
oone
stage.

India
vs
New
Zealand,
1st
Test:
Wriddhiman
Saha
sits
out
on
Day
3
with
stiff
neck;
Bharat
comes
in
as
‘keeper

Bharat
has
a
triple
hundred
as
an
opener
and
his
inclusion
would
mean
that
both
Cheteshwar
Pujara
and
Ajinkya
Rahane
would
remain
in
the
playing
eleven.

Mhambrey
heaped
praise
on
Saha
for
his
effort
in
the
Kanpur
Test.

“But
obviously
with
whatever
he
(Saha)
has
been
through,
I
think
(it
was
a)
fabulous
effort
in
the
last
Test
match
to
bat
in
that.
It
was
painful,
we
realise
that
but
he
put
his
hand
up
and
(said)
the
team
wanted
it
and
he
delivered
it
for
the
team,
really
happy
to
see
that,”
added
Mhambrey.

With
the
first
Test
ending
in
a
draw,
India
will
be
keen
to
assert
their
supremacy
in
the
second
Test
at
the
Wankhede
Stadium
and
close
in
on
a
series
win.

It
will
also
mark
the
return
of
regular
Test
skipper
Virat
Kohli
to
the
squad
after
he
preferred
to
skip
the
first
match
of
the
two-Test
series
as
part
of
an
extended
break
he
has
been
taking
since
the
ICC
T20
World
Cup
held
in
the
UAE
last
month.

The
Test
will
be
the
last
one
at
home
before
Team
India
embarks
on
a
lengthy
tour
of
South
Africa.

Kohli
and
Co
will
be
playing
three
Test
matches,
as
many
One-day
Internationals
and
four
T20s
in
the
Rainbow
nation.

SCHEDULE
OF
INDIA’S
TOUR
OF
SOUTH
AFRICA

Though
there
are
growing
concerns
over
the
fate
of
the
tour,
the
Board
of
Control
for
Cricket
in
India
(BCCI)
president
Sourav
Ganguly
said
the
tour
remains
on
schedule
and
that
they
are
keeping
a
close
watch
on
the
situation
surrounding
the
emergence
of
the
new
COVID-19
variant.

There
has
been
growing
concern
about
the
spread
of
the
new
COVID-19
variant,
named
Omicron,
which
was
first
reported
in
South
Africa.

We
have
time
to
decide,
South
Africa
tour
is
on
as
of
now,
says
Sourav
Ganguly

“The
tour
is
on
as
things
stand
till
now.
We
still
have
time
to
decide.
The
first
Test
is
scheduled
from
December
17.
We
will
ponder
about
it,”
Ganguly
told
reporters
on
the
sidelines
of
a
promotional
event.

India
are
scheduled
to
finish
the
Mumbai
Test
against
New
Zealand
on
December
7
and
are
expected
to
depart
to
Johannesburg
from
there
on
December
8
or
9
on
a
chartered
flight.

“Players’ security
and
health
has
always
been
BCCI’s
first
priority,
we
will
do
everything
possible
for
this.
We
will
see
what
happens
in
the
days
to
come,”
the
BCCI
chief
added.

(With
PTI
inputs)