New Zealand opt to bat, Santner in for Henry; India make three changes
Gill took his No. 3 position back as Rahul made way, while Washington and Akash Deep came into the bowling attack
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat in a crucial Test match against India in Pune. The pitch was described as dry, favoring spinners, making it a good decision to bat first. With Kane Williamson out, the New Zealand batting lineup remained unchanged, but they brought in Mitchell Santner to replace Matt Henry, who was sidelined due to a glute injury. Santner's inclusion added an extra spin option and bolstered their batting depth.
India made three changes to their lineup. Washington Sundar, a late addition to the squad, replaced Kuldeep Yadav to add more variety to the spin attack and strengthen the batting. Shubman Gill returned to his usual No. 3 spot, with Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 in the last Test, retaining his place. KL Rahul made way for Gill, and Akash Deep came in for Mohammed Siraj, who hadn't been as successful in taking wickets despite some good spells.
Lineups:
New Zealand:
- Tom Latham (capt.)
- Devon Conway
- Will Young
- Rachin Ravindra
- Daryl Mitchell
- Tom Blundell (wk)
- Glenn Phillips
- Mitchell Santner
- Tim Southee
- Will O'Rourke
- Ajaz Patel
India:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Rohit Sharma (capt.)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Ravindra Jadeja
- R Ashwin
- Washington Sundar
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Akash Deep
