India made three changes to their playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, with under-fire batter KL Rahul among those missing out.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and chose to bat first on what appeared to be a drier surface in Pune, compared to the first Test in Bengaluru last week. Pacer Matt Henry, who excelled in that match, has missed out through injury with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner replacing him.
India, meanwhile, have made wholesale changes to their lineup, with as many as three players being replaced. KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj all miss out as Shubman Gill, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar come in.
Gill's inclusion has been along expected lines, as India's regular No.3 missed the first Test due to a neck injury. As a result, one batter had to make way and that has ended up being Rahul. He scored 0 & 12 in Bengaluru, but was backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir in the pre-match press conference yesterday.
Sarfaraz Khan keeps his place in the batting order, with his knock of 150 in the second innings in Bengaluru proving too hard to ignore, as it seems. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant also keeps his place, proving his fitness after he suffered a knock to his knee in the previous match.
Mohammed Siraj looked some way off his best in the first Test, and India have taken the opportunity to give him some rest. Akash Deep was impressive in the Bangladesh series, and plays in Pune as one of two pacers along side Jasprit Bumrah.
The third Indian change is an interesting one. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been left out, with off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar coming in. Sundar is coming off the back of an excellent knock of 152 for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, and was added to the squad immediately after the first Test.
He is undoubtedly an upgrade on Kuldeep's batting, but whether is bowling will be of the level India expect remains to be seen.
Also read: India coach explains the thinking behind surprise Washington Sundar pick
IND v NZ: Playing XIs for second Test in Pune
India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), 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 (wk), Glenn Phillips, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Will O'Rourke.
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