NZ elect to bat first against India in second Test; Gill returns, KL sits out

This game is a must-win for Team India, as they are 1-0 down in the series.

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test of the three-match series against India at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium on Thursday.

This game is a must-win for Team India, as they are 1-0 down in the series. The Rohit Sharma-led team will have to win this game to keep their 12-year long home supremacy alive and solidify their chances of making a hat-trick of ICC World Test Championship (WTC) finals as a tougher Australian challenge awaits them.

Speaking at the toss, Latham said that the surface looks different to what it looked last week and said Matt Henry misses out due to a niggle, with spinner Mitchell Santner taking his place.

“We are going to have a bat. The surface is 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 (the win in first Test). We celebrated that but our focus has quickly turned to Pune here. It is 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,” said Latham.

For India, pacer Mohammed Siraj, batter KL Rahul and spinner Kuldeep Yadav sit out. Shubman Gill returns to the playing eleven after missing the first Test due to neck stiffness. Akash Deep takes Siraj’s place while Washington Sundar takes Kuldeep’s spot for his first Test appearance since March 2021.

Skipper Rohit said, “We would have batted as well. When you play a Test match like that (the first Test), the first session did not 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. The pitch is a little drier, yes. We do understand how important the first 10 overs are. Three changes – Siraj, KL and Kuldeep miss out. Akash Deep, Washington and Gill come in.”

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke. (ANI)

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