NEW DELHI: In the important second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune, India has made significant changes to their team. Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Shubman Gill have been included in the playing XI. Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav are not playing in this match.
New Zealand, fresh from their eight-wicket win in the first Test in Bengaluru, won the toss and chose to bat first. At the toss, India’s captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the positives from the previous game and highlighted the importance of the first session.
“We would have batted first as well. In the last match, the first session didn’t go our way, but we batted well in the second innings. We are taking many positives from that and looking to turn things around here. It’s crucial to find ways to get back into the Test match when you’re behind, and that’s what we did. The pitch is a bit drier, and we understand how important the first 10 overs are. We’ve made three changes—Siraj, KL, and Kuldeep are out; Akash Deep, Washington, and Gill come in,” Rohit explained.
New Zealand’s captain Tom Latham decided to bat first because of the conditions of the Pune pitch. The visitors made one change: Mitchell Santner replaces the injured Matt Henry, who took eight wickets in their Bengaluru victory.
“We’re going to bat first. The surface is slightly different from last week—not much grass and might offer a bit of spin, as we expect in these parts of the world. We were really proud of our performance last week, but our focus has quickly turned to Pune. It’s about adapting to this surface and trying to carry over the confidence from last week. Matt Henry misses out with a glute injury, so Santner comes in,” Latham said.
