India vs New Zealand: Gautam Gambhir-Rohit Sharma deploy 35 Net Bowlers in Mumbai

India National Cricket Team is putting in the hard yards to prepare themselves for the final Test of the last game against the New Zealand National Cricket Team. The match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from 1st November (Friday).

With the last Test of the series just a couple of days away now, the hosts have started their preparations. They are making sure that they tick almost every box correctly. As per the reports in Indian Express, it is learned that the management led by Gautam Gambhir has asked for 35 net bowlers, comprising a variety of spinners.

Team management asked the MCA to allow the net bowlers during first full-fledged practice session

The reports claimed that the Team management has asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to allow the net bowlers during the first full-fledged practice session. This comes after Mitchell Santner wreaked havoc across the hosts' batting lineup in the Pune Test.

The last-minute decision to keep 35 net bowlers comes in an attempt to negate the threat of Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner picked a five-wicket haul in both innings of the match and returned with the figures of 13 for 157, being the third-best by a visiting bowler in India.

Indian team is desperate to avoid the whitewash in the series against New Zealand

The reports claimed that the hosts are desperate to avoid the whitewash, and hence, they have asked the curators to prepare the rank turner for the final game. This means that the Rohit Sharma-led team will play the same combination that they did in the last game.

The home spinners have had great success at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Two premier spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, have had their moments at the venue and have helped the team win many games as well as the series.

In the five games at the venue, Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up 38 wickets at 18.42, the highest tally by any bowler at this venue. On the other hand, Jadeja, who has played just one match at the venue has taken just 6 wickets for the team.

India faced two back-to-back defeats in the first two Tests against New Zealand

India faced two back-to-back defeats in the first two Tests against New Zealand National Cricket Team. They faced a massive 8-wicket loss in the first game and then were at the receiving end of a 113-run thrashing in the second game at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

This was the first time that the Rohit Sharma-led side faced a home Test series defeat in 12 years. They also lost crucial World Test Championship points as well which saw their road to the final taking a massive hit.

To stay in contention now, they need to win the next game as well as 3 games in Australia. They would be hoping to make a strong comeback and book their berth in the final of the tournament.