INDORE // India captain Virat Kohli will look to lead Test cricket’s new number one side to a whitewash in the series finale against New Zealand starting Saturday -- and halt a rare slump in his own form in the process.
Since scoring his first Test double century against the West Indies in July, the normally prolific Kohli has failed to pass 50 in any of his subsequent seven innings and is averaging only 20 against the Black Caps.
India’s comfortable wins in the first two matches of a three-Test series have allowed them to overtake Pakistan at the top of the rankings and also divert attention away from Kohli’s downturn in form.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult dismissed the right-hander both times in the second Test in Kolkata after his strike partner Neil Wagner had softened him up the other end with a string of bouncers.
Kohli, who has been widely praised for soaking up the additional pressure since taking over from M.S. Dhoni as Test captain last year, has been playing down the concerns about his own form.
“I don’t think there is anything called form. It’s how you feel on a particular day,” the 27-year-old said in comments carried by Indian media this week ahead of the third Test at Indore’s Holkar Stadium.
“My own form? I don’t really think about these things, because cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time, especially batting where you have only one chance.”
Kohli aside, India’s batting has been sound in the first two Tests but Shikhar Dhawan’s broken thumb has opened the door for a recall at the top of the order for veteran Gautam Gambhir.
The aggressive left-hander, who enjoyed a successful opening partnership with the now retired Virender Sehwag, played the last of his 56 Tests on India’s tour of England in the summer of 2014. But he has forced his way back into contention after a strong showing on the domestic circuit.
There will also be a change to the bowling line-up after medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took six wickets in Kolkata, was ruled out on Wednesday with a back strain and the uncapped Shardul Thakur drafted in as a replacement.
New Zealand are expected to welcome back skipper Kane Williamson, who missed the second Test due to a viral infection.
The Black Caps will be aiming to avoid their second successive series whitewash in India after losing the 2012 rubber 2-0.
The tourists have performed well in patches but have been guilty of failing to push home their advantage at key moments.
Senior batsman Ross Taylor, who led the team in Kolkata, said New Zealand were still keen to display their aggressive brand of cricket in the final Test.
“We’re still fizzing to go for Indore, hopefully we can play some fear-free cricket to put India under pressure,” Taylor said after the 178-run loss in Kolkata.
“We’ve tried to be aggressive, we always try and be aggressive. It didn’t work this time but we will still be aggressive in the next Test and hopefully we can get a better result.”
There had been question marks over whether the Test would go ahead following a row between the Indian board and a Supreme Court-appointed panel which has order the organisation to institute reforms.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had privately threatened to cancel the series after their accounts were allegedly frozen by the panel but they later stepped back from the brink.
The match marks the first time the Holkar Stadium, located in Indore in Madhya Pradesh state, has hosted a Test match and the pitch is expected to favour batsmen and seam bowlers.
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The biog:
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Favourite food: Pizza
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