Key Points
Shreyas Iyer, on debut, held the middle order together with efforts of 105 and 65 on a low, dead surface where the last pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel held on 52 deliveries to force a thrilling draw.P)..
Kohli had given enough notice of his unavailability for that match, New Zealand didnt hold the same aura as England, and the Kanpur track held few terrors, especially given that spinners Ajaz, Ravindra and William Somerville didnt enjoy strong credentials offie Somerville was playing his fifth Test, left-arm spinner Ajaz his tenth and Ravindra, also a left-armer, was making his debut..
True, the England spin attack isnt the most celebrated either Jack Leach, their only experienced spinner, had played 35 Tests previously, Joe Root is primarily a top-order batter who does bowl excellent off-spin, leggie Rehan Ahmed was one Test young and left-arm spinner Tom Hartley was making his first appearance..
Indias middle order acquitted itself excellently, helped in no small measure by the recent addition of KL Rahul and the spunk and determination of Ravindra Jadeja, the bedrocks around whom the hosts constructed a potentially decisive lead of 175 runs..
Kohli is beyond replaceable, but Rahul, Iyer, Jadeja, Bharat and Axar have shown that there is more to the Indian middle-order than him..
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