MUMBAI: India finally confront the tricky transition problem that has been on the horizon for quite some time when they launch the two-Test series against New Zealand this week.
The Indians lost eight consecutive away Tests in England and Australia last year to relinquish the world No. 1 status and will be without two batting stalwarts in Hyderabad on the opening day tomorrow.
The 4-0 drubbing they received in both series prompted the experienced Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to hang up their boots and pave the way for the next generation.
Sachin Tendulkar, 39, is the only surviving member of the famed batting trio and it will now be up to the young players to make an impression.
“You cannot really replace Rahul or Laxman,” New Zealand captain Ross Taylor told reporters. “They are two greats of Indian cricket.”
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are the most likely candidates to fill the void although Subramaniam Badrinath is waiting in the wings as well.
India, ranked fifth in the world, also need to find two dependable slip fielders in the absence of Dravid and Laxman.
Eighth-ranked New Zealand are still smarting from a 2-0 test defeat in West Indies.
The Black Caps have never won a series in India and their problems have been compounded by the absence of Daniel Vettori, their most capped test cricketer.
The all-rounder has been ruled out by injury and New Zealand will miss the spinner’s experience on the low and slow surfaces of India.
“We certainly would like to put some good plans in place and be positive about the way we look to play,” Taylor said.
“India is a familiar place for a lot of us. We have played well here and are looking forward to the contest.”
Despite their poor overseas form, India have a formidable record at home.
“India are always tough in their home conditions. Whether they play north or down south they play very well,” Taylor said.
“We should be careful about the reverse swing and the spinners. We have to learn quickly through the series.”
India to launch 2013 Champions Trophy against Proteas
Meantime, world champion India will open the 2013 Champions Trophy in England and Wales with a clash against South Africa in Cardiff on June 6 next year.
Hosts England will begin the tournament by playing defending champions and old rivals Australia at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground.
The Champions Trophy, the “mini World Cup,” features the world’s eight leading nations in 50-over cricket.
Next year Group A will include Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka while India, Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies will compete in Group B.
As well as Cardiff and Edgbaston, The Oval in south London will also stage Champions Trophy fixtures, with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.
One of the standout group fixtures will be the clash between sub-continental rivals India and Pakistan in Birmingham, which has one of Britain’s largest South Asian populations, on June 15. “This will be a terrific opportunity for fans to see the world’s very best one-day sides in action over the space of less than three weeks and the fixture schedule has thrown up a host of exciting head-to-head contests,” said tournament director and former South Africa seamer Steve Elworthy, after the England and Wales Cricket Board released the fixtures on Tuesday.
Next year’s edition will be the seventh and last Champions Trophy, with the tournament being replaced by the International Cricket Council’s new World Test Championship instead. Officials had hoped to launch the World Test Championship in 2013 but sponsor and broadcast agreements meant they had to continue with the Champions Trophy.
First played in 1998, the Champions Trophy has usually taken place every two years, filling the “gap” between World Cups, staged every four years.
But the 2008 edition due to be played in Pakistan was delayed because of security concerns until 2009 when it was switched to South Africa, where Australia beat New Zealand in the final.
The tournament hasn’t been played since, with 2010 seeing the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean while last year India, on home soil, won the 50-over World Cup by beating Sri Lanka in a final in Mumbai.
