India vs Bangladesh: Abhishek Nayar remains coy on hosts' XI, comments on absence of Test vice-captain

India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar remained coy on the home team’s XI on the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, saying the inclusion of a third spinner in Kuldeep Yadav will depend on conditions.

The curator at Kanpur’s Green Park stadium has prepared two pitches for the second Test — a red-soil wicket that will be similar to the one in Chennai and the other being a black-soil pitch that is expected to assist spinners and stay low.

Read | What Kanpur’s weather will be like on Days 1 and 2 of the second IND-BAN Test

Nayar maintained that the team management is yet to finalise the wicket that the second and final Test will be played on, and that a decision on the XI will be made only after the pitch has been decided.

“Don’t know what surface we are going to be playing on yet. Both the pitches were really good, Kanpur is always known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet, but I think the conditions and the forecast will be sort of interesting as to how when we turn up in the morning and how the conditions are.

“I think a lot will depend on that because in Test cricket, conditions matter a lot and how the pitch plays. It is for us to decide and have a thought process over the conditions. But we are hoping to come on a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur,” Nayar told reporters in the pre-match press conference.

India had picked a three-prong pace attack for the opening Test against the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led visitors in Chennai, picking Akash Deep as the third seamer for what was a pace-friendly red-soil wicket at Chepauk.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were picked as the frontline spinners, the former dishing out a Player of the Match-winning performance that included a century (113) as well as a six-for (6/88), playing a key role in the team’s clinical 280-run victory in the process.

However, the team management picking Kuldeep for the second Test which will take place in his hometown will likely mean Akash, who took two wickets in as many deliveries on Day 2 in Chennai, will get benched.

Nayar explains why India doesn’t have Test vice-captain

The former Mumbai all-rounder also spoke on why Rohit Sharma does not have a deputy in the Test format.

Top-order batter Shubman Gill had recently been named as vice-captain in the ODI and T20I formats, in which the Men in Blue are led by Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav respectively.

Gill thus replaced Hardik, who had served as Rohit’s deputy in their successful T20 World Cup campaign this year as well as in last year’s ODI World Cup, and had also led India in the shortest format during Rohit and Virat Kohli’s absence.

“I think we need to understand that we have got a lot of IPL captains in this team. When you talk about the likes of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, hopefully a Yashasvi going forward. There are a lot of players who have led their franchises,” Nayar said during the press conference.

“I wouldn’t look at them as youngsters any more. Yes, they are youngsters in terms of age and the amount of cricket they have played. But, I think overall, mentally and in their development as a cricketer, I think they have the leadership qualities that are required. You don’t need to have a vice-captain that should be designated.

“I think overall, the thought process of these youngsters if of a senior player. It’s of someone who has played a lot of cricket. With the likes of Virat, Rohit in the dressing room, it speedens that process where you are learning a lot faster on the go. I feel our future and all the youngsters are in great hands,” Nayar, who was assistant coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders before joining the Indian team, added.

‘Fielding is directly proportionate to your fitness’

Nayar also touched upon the Indian team’s superb fielding skills in the Chennai Test and how they’ve been able to maintain high fitness standards for years now.

“Overall, right from when Virat took over, the emphasis on fitness has directly resulted in better fielders.

“If you look at Indian cricket on the whole or even the IPL or domestic cricket, you will see a growth in fielding.

“And I always believe that fielding is directly proportionate to your fitness. If you are fit enough, if you can move, if you are agile, you will be able to be in position,” Nayar added.

After the two-Test series, India face Bangladesh in three T20Is. That will be followed by a three-match Test series against New Zealand that will get underway on 16 October.