India and New Zealand, Test Cricket. (Source – Getty Images)
India look to restore parity in the three-match series against New Zealand after suffering an eight-wicket defeat in the first Test in Bengaluru last week. The two cricketing powerhouses cross swords in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, beginning on Thursday, October 24.
Rohit Sharma admitted his mistake of opting to bat first after winning the toss in the opening Test in Bengaluru as the New Zealand seamers used the overcast conditions and damp pitch to their advantage and bowled out the hosts for a paltry 46. This turned out to be the lowest team total in Test matches in Asia. Matt Henry and William O’Rourke bagged five and four wickets, respectively.
As the conditions eased out, New Zealand batters made the Indian bowlers toil hard as Devon Conway and Tim Southee scored aggressive half-centuries. However, the star of the show for the Kiwis was Rachin Ravindra, who smashed an exhilarating 134 off 157 balls. He showed his class by tackling the pacers as well as spinners with consummate ease. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 402 after taking a gigantic lead of 356 runs.
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India put on a spirited show in the second innings and Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hit fluent half-centuries. However, Sarfaraz Khan’s 150 and Rishabh Pant’s 99 caught the attention of the cricket fraternity as they showed that the future of Indian cricket looks very bright. India were bowled out for 462 in their second essay. However, the huge lead in the first innings meant that New Zealand only had a 107-run target to hunt down.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a fantastic spell with the new ball and took the wickets of openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway. However, Will Young and Rachin took their team home with eight wickets to spare.
Indian spinners didn’t make much of an impact as the troika of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav took one, three, and three wickets, respectively. However, they were quite expensive, which is a rare sight, especially in India. They are expected to get more help from the surface in Pune and if this happens, the challenge for the New Zealand batters will be much bigger.
Meanwhile, Kohli will have fond memories of playing in Pune as he registered his highest Test score of 254* at this venue in the last Test hosted here in 2019 against South Africa. After going through a lean patch in the longest format of the game, Kohli looked in good touch in the second innings in Bengaluru and would want to go from strength to strength in Pune.
Meanwhile, captain Latham led his team well but failed to show his class with the bat in both innings, registering scores of 15 and 0. He has a lot of experience of playing in Indian conditions and is also a fine player of spin bowling. The New Zealand camp will want their captain to lead from the front in Pune. Meanwhile, the spotlight will be on Rachin and Sarfaraz after the youngsters fared remarkably in Bengaluru.
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Match Details
India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test
Date and Time
October 24-28, 9.30 am IST
Venue
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Live Broadcast and Streaming Details
Sports18 Network and JioCinema (App and Website)
Pitch Report
Only two Test matches have been played so far at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The first Test was played in 2017 between India and Australia and the visitors won by a comprehensive margin of 333 runs. Meanwhile, the second Test saw India beating South Africa by an innings and 137 runs in 2019.
A black soil pitch is being prepared for the two teams and spinners are expected to dictate terms over the next few days. Batting in the fourth innings will not be easy and the captain who wins the toss will have no hesitation in opting to bat first. Posting a good first innings score is going to be very important.
Head-to-Head Records
63
India Won
22
New Zealand Won
14
Drawn / No-Result
27
First-ever Fixture
November 19–24, 1955
Most-recent Fixture
October 16–20, 2024
India vs New Zealand Probable Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma’s side is set to receive a massive boost as Shubman Gill is likely to make a comeback after missing the first Test due to neck stiffness. However, there is a selection headache for India as they have to leave out one player between Sarfaraz and KL Rahul to accomodate Gill. Rahul departed cheaply in both innings of the first Test and it is highly likely that he receives the axe.
There could be a case for Akash Deep to make a comeback as Mohammed Siraj looked off-colour in the first Test. Head coach Gautam Gambhir mentioned at the pre-match press conference that Rishabh Pant has fully recovered from the left knee injury he suffered during the first Test and that’s a great piece of news for Indian fans.
Probable XI – Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep
Also Check: India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Weather Forecast and Pitch Report of Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
New Zealand
Ben Sears was ruled out of the series ahead of the first Test. Kane Williamson also missed the first Test due to a groin injury but was expected to return to the side for the second. However, the former New Zealand skipper is still recuperating from the injury and this will give Will Young another go at No. 3.
The right-handed batter looked solid in both innings of the first Test and would want to build on it in Pune. The pitch is expected to assist the spinners and this could open the door for either Mitchell Santner or Ish Sodhi to come into the side in place of Tim Southee.
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Probable XI – Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner/Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke