Rain and rust worry the Kiwis

That will be a big worry for skipper Stephen Fleming, who said both would play again. A bigger concern — even if they get enough batting practice in this match — would be that they don’t get to face the two most formidable Indian spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, before the Ahmedabad Test. The skipper, however, said he was happy with the performance of his spinners in Vishakapatnam.

The Kiwis made the best of the two days of practice they got here, using up both the sessions on Tuesday and then again on Wednesday morning in hot and humid conditions. Fleming said they were coping well with the heat and were making up for lost time.

The Rajkot wicket is perhaps the most placid track in the country, unless under-prepared — then it becomes wicked — and is considered, even as Indian tracks go, a graveyard for the quicks. ‘‘I expect the ball will come on to the bat,’’ Fleming said. In agreement, India A captain Mohammad Kaif said it would favour batsmen, adding that he was aiming to convert his decent starts into a big score.

Which is what the three India A openers — S Ramesh, Akash Chopra and Connor Williams — will be hoping too, getting a big score. Akash, who scored an unbeaten century in Vishakapatnam, could reap major gains should he come up with another big knock, as the Indian team for the first Test is expected to be announced on the last day of the match and the opening slots are up for grabs.

Deep Das Gupta gets a golden chance to fill another vacancy. If he scores runs here, what Sourav Ganguly never tires of demanding of a wicketkeeper, and doesn’t goof up on his keeping, what went against him the last time round, he could be walking into the Motera ground on October 8.

The Black Caps have had to cope with and adjust to many things — weather, playing conditions — since they arrived. But Fleming said, ‘‘The pressure will most certainly be on the Indians to do in the two Tests what we did back in our own backyard,’’ he said. The more the Indians disclaim that it’s a revenge-series, the louder gets Fleming’s sabre-rattling.

THE TEAMS

INDIA A: Mohd Kaif (captain), S Ramesh, Akash Chopra, Rohan Gavaskar, Connor Williams, Hemang Badani, Deep Das Gupta, Murli Kartik, Sarandeep Singh, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Mithun Minhas, Abhijit Kale, RP Singh.

NEW ZEALAND: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, Robbie Hart, Richard Jones, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffy, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent, Paul Wiseman.

Umpires: MS Mahal, Vijay Chopra. Third Umpire: Samir Bandekar.