Ajinkya Rahane fights existential battle as second-string India take on New Zealand

In absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, Rahane, who is going through a prolonged off form, has been named as the captain for the first Test to be played from Nov 25 to 29.

However, Rahane's selection and appointment as the captain has already stirred a debate since the right-handed batsman's average is below 25 in last 15 Tests.

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has already called Rahane 'fortunate' to be a part of the Indian team, leave aside captaincy.

"I am going to open with Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul because he opened in England and then probably Shubman Gill will bat at No. 4. That's what I would want to see and plus Rahane is pretty fortunate that he's still part of this side because he's leading... But again he's got another opportunity now, hopefully, he can make that count," he said.

Not worried about his form, Rahane, who average 19 in last 11 Tests, said ahead of the first Test, "Not concerned about my form. My job is to contribute as much as possible for my team.

"Contribution doesn’t mean that you need to score 100 in each game. Scores of 30, 40, 50 per innings are also important contributions."

"I am not too much bothered about what’s going to happen in future. Whatever has to happen in future will happen and I have to stay in the moment, to give my best in that particular moment," he added.