New Zealand opts to bat against India in second Test; Rahul, Siraj and Kuldeep dropped

Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Shubman Gill return to the side, while Mitchell Santner replaces Matt Henry for New Zealand.

India's captain Rohit Sharma and New Zealand's captain Tom Latham during the toss before the start of the second test cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo | PTI)

PUNE: New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat against India in the second Test of the three-match series here on Thursday.

New Zealand made one change to their playing eleven, bringing in left-arm spinner Mitchell Santer in place of injured pacer Matt Henry.

India made three changes to the side which featured in Bengaluru.

Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav made way for Akash Deep, Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill.

New Zealand lead the series 1-0.

Teams: New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah.