New boys for new season against Kiwis

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">AHMEDABAD:</span> New Zealand hope to give India a rough ride in the opening Test, but their best-laid plans may come unstuck when they commence the first game of a two-Test series at the Sardar Patel Gujarat stadium here on Wednesday.<br /><br />India start as firm favourites, their lack of match practice notwithstanding, simply because they are the better-equipped side on paper and on the pitch, and they are playing at home.<br /><br />Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly affirmed this on the eve of the match, "We take confidence from the fact that we have done very well at home in the last three years."<br /><br />The last time New Zealand played here in 1999, they were let off the hook when the then skipper Sachin Tendulkar did not enforce the follow-on after he had the visitors on the rack, on the premise that his players were exhausted.<br /><br />That Test turned out to be a controversial one and it is unlikely that Sourav Ganguly will be as magnanimous as Sachin, if he gets the opportunity to catch the Kiwis by the neck this time round.<br /><br />If the wicket affords turn, India''s spinners can well nigh be unplayable, as they have often proved in the past at home.After a relatively long lay-off from Tests, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble must be itching to get at the rival batsmen, given a turning wicket.<br /><br />New Zealand''s run-up to this series has been admirable and worthy of emulation. They practised in conditions in New Zealand and Australia that were simulated to meet requirements in India. In Christchurch and Brisbane they played on wickets that were specifically prepared to mirror Indian conditions. Their coach Ashley Ross has said: "We have information on Indian players dating back to four-five years. That puts (skipper) Stephen Fleming in a great position to get knowledge about field placements, where to bowl and so on.''''<br /><br />Fleming himself was optimistic on Tuesday morning when he met the media. "I wouldn''t put too much in our performances in the warm-up games. It''s hot but not humid and we are comfortable in the conditions.'''' Indeed, perhaps no other cricket team has embarked upon an overseas tour with such a wealth of information in their hands, but Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is not perturbed by it.<br /><br />Ganguly knows that the Kiwis will badly miss strike bowler Shane Bond who is out with an injury and all-rounder Chris Cairns who has stayed back for his wife is expecting their second child. History too is not on New Zealand''s side. Since 1955-56, when they first toured India, New Zealand have won just two of the 24 Test matches they have played in this country, but their coach says that the current side cannot be judged in the light of past performances. He has said that they have a young team who want to "make history'''' and are "excited by the challenge'''' and not daunted by it. <br /><br />Ganguly also said that Avishkar Salvi and Sairaj Bahutule have been rested and Yuvraj Singh will be the 12th man. Thus opening bat Akash Chopra and medium-pacer L Balaji will be making their Test debut on Wednesday. <br /><br />Aficionados of the game in Ahmedabad will get the opportunity to watch local boy Parthiv Patel, who has been picked as the wicket-keeper, in action.<br /><br />Teams<br /><br />India <br /><br />Sourav Ganguly (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Akash Chopra, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji. 12th man: Yuvraj Singh.<br /><br />New Zealand (From)<br /><br />S Fleming (capt), N. Astle, I. Butler, R. Hart (w-k), Richard Jones, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, D. Tuffey, D. Vettori, L. Vincent, P. Wiseman.</div> </div>