Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak (PTI Photo)

HAMILTON: The Indian cricket team is firming up its preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand. The players in the squad will leave for Wellington from Hamilton and will be assisted by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel. The players in the India A set-up, in Christchurch, will link up with the group in Wellington.Kotak revealed on Monday that the team management is also considering keeping Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi back for the Test camp, and head coach Gautam Gambhir will soon make the final call. The head coach himself will stay back with the ODI team.“Gautam will have to be here, One Day World Cup is coming, so he will be staying here, and probably Sairaj (Bahutule) will stay here. Me, Morne (Morkel) and some other staff will go to Wellington, this is the plan. It will be finalised by Gautam, so it can change. We will just try and see that their (Test squad) loading, their fitness, their practice, they should do enough preparation, as much as the conditions permit us. Arsh (Arshdeep Singh), (Auqib) Nabi, and Gurnoor (Brar), if I am not wrong, will stay back for Tests,” said Kotak on Monday.India played the first two ODIs in challenging conditions and Kotak felt while the colour of the ball will change, the experience will hold the Test-bound players in good stead for the two-match series. Both Auckland and Wellington fixtures were low-scoring affairs and batters from both teams found life difficult in conditions which were seaming and swinging, and offered encouraging bounce to the bowlers. With a short turnaround time between the ODI and Test series, the Indian camp is hoping that the Wellington sessions will keep the squad ready for Basin Reserve opener.

Shubman Gill during a nets session ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com)

Additionally, players like Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Devdutt Padikkal, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan have been with the India A team and got some crucial game time under their belt.“The wicket in both the ODIs had swing and when it stopped after 4-6 overs, there was seam movement and a little awkward bounce also. So, in hindsight, it is a good thing, because in the Test match, the same thing can happen… only the ball will be red. Yes, the intent and mindset will be of One Day in One Day, but one thing is that with the wickets here, thicker grass, 12-14 [mm of grass, and the conditions, you can get an idea. Even if there is more green in the Test pitch, there is not much green in this one. But it is quite a good condition to play… it is challenging.“Plus, there are many India A matches which the red ball players are playing. So that is also a big advantage for batters and bowlers because they would know where to bowl, what length to bowl, how much to hit, how much to release, and what help to expect.“So all in all, the preparation has been very good and on top of that, the Test players are going for a camp on the 11th, so we will also get 5-6 sessions. Fingers crossed, we should be ready for the Test series as well,” explained Kotak.After wrapping up their ODI committments, Shubman Gill and other members of the Test squad will head to Wellington while the remaining team heads to Tauranga for the last two fixtures, where the team will be led by Shreyas Iyer.