India eye turnaround against spirited New Zealand

Team India had a tough outing in Chinnaswamy as they were overpowered by New Zealand. A batting collapse in the first innings and a late slide in the second dented India’s chances and the visitors were quick to latch onto the clues. It is a new challenge for India as they gear up for the second Test against the Kiwi in Pune.

With Washington Sundar coming in to bolster the Indian ranks with his all-round brilliance, India will be hopeful of figuring out a way to crack the Kiwi code. With Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant putting up a show of resilience in the second innings of the first Test, Gautam Gambhir will be hoping that the others will also step up. There is a high possibility of Shubman Gill also returning to the playing XI after a stiff neck kept him away from the playing XI.

As this is a three-match series, India will have to win this match in order to flip around the tide in their favour. Despite being at the top of the WTC points table for the ongoing cycle, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy around the corner, Rohit Sharma and company will be hopeful of adding further sheen to their numbers before they venture Down Under.

Venue Watch:

The surface in Pune can be a tricky one to brave early on day 1 as history suggests that there has always been moisture early. However, as the sun beats down later in the day, the track will be hardening up and batting will become easy. Seamers will have assistance from the track for the first three days while spinners will get a say from the third as the cracks open up.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 63

India: 22

New Zealand: 14

Match Details:

Match – India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test

Venue: MCA Stadium, Pune

Date: 24th October, 2024

Time: 9:30 AM

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar

New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young