New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bat first in the second Test against India. Captain Tom Latham noted the pitch looked different from last week’s with less grass, expecting spin to play a key role. New Zealand made one change, with Mitchell Santner replacing Matt Henry due to a glute injury.
India, on the other hand, made three significant changes to their lineup. KL Rahul, Mohammad Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav are out, with Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Shubman Gill coming in. Rohit Sharma mentioned that they also would have preferred to bat and highlighted the importance of the first 10 overs on a dry surface.
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, William O’Rourke.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah.