Djokovic wins twice to lead Serbia to Davis Cup semi-finals
MUMBAI: Virat Kohli's return after a well-earned break couldn't have come in a more unenvious setting as he needs to tread the fine line between tough and prudent in his selection calls when India take on New Zealand in the second and final Test at the rain-soaked 'Maximum City' from Friday.
After an anti-climactic end to the first Test where New Zealand escaped with a creditable draw defying the Indian spinners on a slow turner, the home team under its regular captain would certainly go for a slight rejig in the combination.
Also, at the Wankhede, the hosts may only get four days to enforce a positive result due to heavy rains that could be a dampener on day one and the underlying moisture which will also bring an extra Black Caps pacer Neil Wagner into the equation.
Historically, Indian cricket teams have never believed in a shake-up of the status quo and therein lies the problem that Kohli and new coach Rahul Dravid face with the current set-up. Two of the team's players have not been scoring runs.
Despite that Shreyas Iyer, who scored 105 and 65 under pressure in Kanpur, is not assured of a place despite a dream start to his career.
It happened with Karun Nair after a triple ton but one could argue that it came in an inconsequential fifth Test against a tired attack and the team wasn't under any pressure.
While the spotlight is on Ajinkya Rahane for all the wrong reasons after 12 successive failures in 2021, it is unlikely that the man, who was captain in the last match, will be dropped in the very next game due to lack of form.
And that too on his home turf.
But every extra chance given to him effectively means that criticism about not sending a strong signal would get louder.
The second cause of concern is Cheteshwar Pujara, who has time and again forgotten that cricket is not merely about survival. Every Test at home or abroad, every bowling attack -formidable or run of the mill --, has been putting him in a spot.
He looked to have a changed mindset briefly in England but in Kanpur, he again got himself into a rut.
However, when the team travels to South Africa, Kohli knows that he has only one man, who can blunt the new Kookaburra against Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
So, Pujara and Rahane backers can rejoice as their favourite players aren't going anywhere for this game unless they are injured.
MADRID: After having to play in an empty arena in the group stage, Novak Djokovic relished being in front of Davis Cup fans again.
Djokovic fed off the energetic crowd from the start on Wednesday, leading Serbia into the semifinals with a 2-1 comefrom-behind win over Kazakhstan at the Madrid Arena.
The top-ranked Djokovic kept Serbia alive in the quarterfinal by defeating Alexander Bublik in straight sets in his singles match, then teamed up with Nikola Cacic in the deciding doubles for a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov.
Serbia had played its groupstage matches without fans in Austria, because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
"It makes a huge difference," said Djokovic, who was constantly turning to the crowd to celebrate during his matches.
"Fans are one of the reasons why professional tennis exists. Playing in front of the fans is very important. They give us great energy, they give us a lot of motivation to try to play our best on the court. In Innsbruck
The Kohli baiters would then say that it's not just Rahane who hasn't been scoring for two years, even the Indian skipper hasn't had a three-figure mark against his name in any form for more than two years now.
And now with Dravid for company, someone famous for taking a middle of the road approach, one can certainly expect that Mayank Agarwal will be disposed off for perhaps being a low hanging fruit.
Shubman Gill scored an attacking fifty in the first innings and despite his not so great defensive technique with a yawning gap between bat and pad, he will be persisted with as he is being looked as a longterm middle-order solution.
Kohli will be a straight replacement for Agarwal. The question then arises on who will open alongside Gill.
It either has to be Cheteshwar Pujara or wicketkeeper batsman K S Bharat. we didn't have fans so it was a completely different atmosphere." Serbia reached the last four for the first time since 2017 and will face Croatia, which got past Italy on Monday.
Serbia broke serve at 2-2 and 5-3 in the third set of the doubles to seal its fifth semifinal appearance in the team event.
Serbia made it to the last eight as one of the top two second-place finishers from the six groups. It was second to Germany in a group that also included Austria.
Pujara could turn out to be a poor choice given his current form, while Andhra man Bharat has the requisite experience at the first-class level with a highest score of 308.
Bharat replacing Wriddhiman Saha, who has been suffering from stiff neck, could actually save the team management from actually taking tough calls for the match.
For the Kane Williamsonled New Zealand, they missed Wagner badly in Kanpur where his presence could have spelt more trouble for India in the second innings. The rain and a pitch devoid of sunlight could mean that both pacers and spinners would be in equation.
New Zealand's threepronged attack could spell trouble for India on a spiced up track and Will Somerville, who played a gutsy knock in Kanpur, might have to sit out.
India may bring in Mohammed Siraj into the equation with Ishant Sharma looking
Serbia lost to Russia in the quarterfinals of the first edition of the Davis Cup Finals in 2019. Its only title came in 2010 in a final against France, and it was runner-up to the Czech Republic in 2013. Djokovic had to win his singles match after Mikhail Kukushkin defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in the opener.
Djokovic broke serve once in each set against the 36thranked Bublik to win 6-3, 6-4 and extend his singles winning streak in the Davis Cup to 17 matches. completely out of rhythm but with turn expected, three spinners may be persisted with.
Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday indicated that they may field an extra pacer in the second Test against New Zealand to exploit the likely change in conditions if persistent rainfall continues.
Mumbai is witnessing heavy unseasonal rain which has caused a sharp drop in temperature. The overcast conditions would bring seam and swing bowlers into the equation due to underlying moisture content.
“There is a weather change and we have to keep that into account and pick the combination accordingly,” Kohli said on the eve of the match, hinting that the three-spinner strategy could be revised for this game.
It could pave the way for Mohammed Siraj's inclusion in the playing XI.
“At the end of the day, you cannot assume weather conditions will remain like this over the five days.
“So, we need to see what bowling combination should be picked that can tackle in different conditions. If we reach a common understanding and if everyone agrees, we go in with that combination,” Kohli said.
The captain didn't give any definitive answer about Ajinkya Rahane's place in the side but to a slightly tweaked question how one communicates with players who are dropped, he gave an elaborate reply.
“You have to obviously understand the situation of where the team is placed. You have to understand where individuals stand at certain stages during the course of a long season, so you have to obviously communicate well,” Kohli said.