Pitch in focus as India eye series-levelling win in Pune

Jolted by an unexpected loss on home turf, India will look for the right balance as they aim for a series-levelling victory against a resilient New Zealand in the second Test, starting in Pune from Thursday.

After being shot out for an embarrassing 46 in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test, India's resolute show in the second innings could not prevent an eight-wicket pounding which saw the hosts in the World Test Championship table dropping points even though it continues to hold the top spot.

Winning the next two Tests will be first priority for Rohit Sharma and his men before they hit the Australian shores for a high-profile five-Test series next month.

With India under pressure, attention is firmly on the pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The black-soil surface, devoid of grass, is expected to reduce the bounce New Zealand exploited in Bengaluru, while the spinners could get some assistance and reverse swing could also become a factor.

India's free-flowing batters cut a sorry figure when William O'Rourke and the seasoned duo of Matt Henry and Tim Southee served a wake-up call which no one saw coming on a pace-friendly track that was admittedly misread by Rohit despite overcast conditions.

Preparing a rank turner could be one way out of the mire but it has backfired on India twice in the past.

Australia hammered them by a monumental 333-run margine eight years ago while the same team handed them a nine-wicket defeat in Indore last year.

With Shubman Gill priming for a comeback, one among K L Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan will have to make way. Coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed his desire to give the latter a long rope but Sarfaraz has made a strong case with his second innings 150 in Bengaluru.

One could say a big score for each of the two seniors, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, is around the corner. The latter, especially, would be keen to draw from his 254 not out in Pune in 2019-20, which paved the way for an innings and 137-run thrashing of South Africa.

By his own lofty standards, Yashasvi Jaiswal endured twin failures in the Bengaluru Test and the young batter looked to iron out his flaws when he had multiple stints in the nets.

As much as the Indian camp values Rahul's credentials in Test cricket, the right-handed batter hasn't looked his best and runs haven't come off his bat on a consistent basis.

The Karnataka batter is locked in the fight for a spot against a red-hot Sarfaraz, who followed his 222 not out in the Irani Cup for Mumbai with a superlative 150 in the first Test in Bengaluru, helping India fight against all odds.

Rishabh Pant kept wickets for a short period towards end of India's training session on Tuesday but it remains to be seen if he is 100 per cent fit to endure match workload.

India's perennial problem of plenty also goes along with ensuring their players are adequately rested as well as primed for future challenges, but on these counts it is unlikely that Jasprit Bumrah will get some time off given a series-levelling win is much-needed in Pune.

However, with Mohammed Siraj enduring a 'wickets-drought' as assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate put it, there could be a possibility of Akash Deep coming back into the fold. He too had a long batting stint in the nets here on Tuesday.

Ravichandran Ashwin will look to make the most of what will be on offer over the next five days, with Ravindra Jadeja in tow.

The addition of Washington Sundar, who can spin the ball away from New Zealand's southpaws in captain Tom Latham, Devon Conway and the immensely talented Rachin Ravindra, would also bolster India's batting.

On their part, New Zealand have done fairly well given the absence of Kane Williamson from two of the three Tests on this tour. Will Young appeared resolute in the middle-order which features Ravindra's brilliance.

New Zealand will, however, expect more off Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell's bats and at the same time want the others to try and emulate Southee's feats in the first innings of the opening Test.

Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, K L Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (w/k), Dhruv Jurel (w/k), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell (w/k), Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, William O'Rourke, Jacob Duffy.

Match: Starts at 9:30am IST.

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