New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bat first in the second Test match against India at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The hosts are 0-1 behind in the series after an eight-wicket loss in Bengaluru and for the first time in a decade, India are in a must-win situation at home. As far as the playing XIs are concerned, India have made three changes to their line-up from the previous Test while the Kiwis have also dropped a pace bowler.
Matt Henry has made way for Mitchell Santner for New Zealand as it also lengthens their batting line-up. Santner's left-arm spin will bring him more in the game with five right-handers in the Indian line-up in the top 8. As for India, KL Rahul has been dropped alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj. Sarfaraz Khan has kept his place while Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill have returned as well. For the unversed, Gill didn't play the first Test due to stiffness in his neck but is fit now.
" When you play a Test match like that, the first session didn't go our way. But we batted well in the second innings. We take a lot of positives from that and see how we can turn things around here. Always want to find ways to get back into the Test match when you're behind. That's what we did. Pitch is a little drier, yes. We do understand how important the first 10 overs are," Rohit Sharma said after losing the toss.
"Surface slightly different to what it was last week. Not a lot of grass. Might produce a bit of spin as we expect when we come to these parts of the world. Obviously a really proud moment for this group. We celebrated that but our focus has quickly turned to Pune here. It's just about adapting to this surface. Trying to take the confidence we built up from last week. Matt Henry misses out with a glute niggle. Santner comes in," Latham said while opting to bat.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj/Akash Deep
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel
More to follow...
