India demand 'rank turner' for Mumbai Test against New Zealand to avoid humiliating whitewash

India National Cricket Team have demanded a rank turner surface for the third Test of the three-match series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.

Rohit Sharma's India will lock horns with Tom Latham's New Zealand in the third Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from Friday, November 1.

India struggled against New Zealand pacers in 1st Test

The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru hosted the Test series opener between India and New Zealand and the home team failed miserably in the first innings.

The batters looked absolutely clueless in the seamer-friendly conditions against William O'Rourke, Matt Henry, and Tim Southee, and the hosts got bundled out for 46 runs.

In the next innings, when the conditions settled, the Rohit Sharma-led side came up with a better performance. Sarfaraz Khan smashed a brilliant 150 runs while Rishabh Pant smashed a sensational 99 runs.

Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock of 70 runs, and Rohit Sharma smashed 52 runs as the hosts posted a decent total of 462 runs on the board, setting up a target of 107 runs for the Kiwis. The Black Caps found the low target easy to chase and won the match by 8 wickets.

Mitchell Santner destroyed Rohit Sharma & Co. in the Pune Test

In the second Test, which was played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, the Indian batters once again struggled badly, but this time against spinners.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner turned out to be a nightmare for the batters as he bowled exceptional lines and lengths. The left-arm spinner picked up wickets at regular intervals and bowled out the opposition for 156 in 45.3 overs.

Mitchell Santner dismissed Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akash Deep, and Jasprit Bumrah to finish with the career-best 7 for 53 and helped New Zealand take a 103-run lead.

Santner didn't stop there as he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, and Ravichandran Ashwin in the second innings to bag a 6-fer. His stunning performance helped New Zealand win the match and seal a historic Test series win.

It will be rank turner pitch - Source on IND vs NZ 3rd Test pitch

According to the latest report in the Indian Express, Indian team management has demanded the Mumbai Cricket Association for a “rank turner” for the third despite the struggle of batters against spin bowlers.

“It will be rank turner pitch. The team management has requested to prepare a pitch which can help spinners from day 1. It seems the team wants to go on a tried and tested formula,” a source told The Indian Express.

The batters are likely to find conditions very challenging with the spin and bounce on the Mumbai surface. It is highly likely that the match would finish early if there is uneven bounce on the pitch.

The likes of Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja will be enjoying bowling on the track and will trouble the Kiwis. However, the New Zealand spinners will also be a major threat for the home team batters.