Pune awaits India and New Zealand to decide who gets to take the series. It was an unexpected encounter between both teams when they met in Bengaluru for the first Test match. India were bamboozled upfront when the Kiwis quicks orchestrated a collapse for ages for the Indian team. Before the hosts could comprehend what was happening to them, the New Zealand bowlers had bundled them out for just 46 runs. This onslaught did not end there. With the bat, the visitors struck 402, further bringing the game to their court. Although India did try to recover in the third innings, it was not enough. The match ended with New Zealand winning the game by eight wickets on the last day.
India now need to get back at the Kiwis, who are looking to create history by clinching the series.
Team Overview:
India have not announced the playing XI but it’s expected that one of Sarfaraz Khan or KL Rahul will be sidelined to make way for Shubman Gill, who has recovered from his neck strain. It was speculated earlier that one of Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant might not be available for the second Test, but Gautam Gambhir confirmed that both were fit to be selected. The spin trio, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav, are likely to be included in the eleven as well, with either Akash Deep or Mohammad Siraj helping Jasprit Bumrah with pace duties.
India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep.
New Zealand will again miss the presence of Kane Williamson, whose fight with injuries is not over yet. Although New Zealand do not have as many quality spinners as India, their depth in spin bowling is second to none. They will field at least four spinners for the game. Michael Bracewell has left for home on paternity leave and Mitchell Santner has been added to the squad in his place, and the tourists might get another spinner on as the fifth spin option. One of Tim Southee or Will O’Rourke might miss out playing in this Test match.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Will O’Rourke, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ajaz Patel.
Head-to-Head Matches:
A total of 63 Test matches have been played between both teams. India have won 22 games, while New Zealand have come out victorious in 14 games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
The weather is likely to remain dry which will only increase the already-spinning nature of the turf. The pitch is rumoured to be a spinning track and by the looks of it, these rumours seem true. The first couple of days will be ideal to bat after which spinners will start getting more advantage.
Prediction:
Unless India mess up very badly, they are more likely to win this game.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: Sports 18, JioCinema (Live streaming)
New Zealand: Sky Sports
