IND vs NZ 2024: India’s probable XI for the second Test versus New Zealand
Middle-order: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan
Shubman Gill was ruled out of the first Test match due to a stiff neck. Meanwhile, India’s assistant coach Ryan Descartes confirmed that Shubman Gill would return to the playing XI for the upcoming Test match. Gill played 27 Tests for India wherein he scored 1656 runs at an average of 36.8, including five centuries and six half centuries.
The 25 year old will be looking forward to making his presence count in the Pune test. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test recently. However, he made a stellar comeback in the second innings by scoring an impressive half century before getting dismissed for 70 runs on the final ball of the third day’s play.
The right-hander scored 29 centuries in Test cricket and his just a century away from going past Sir Don Bradman’s century tally. After missing on a well-deserved century in the Bangalore Test, he will look to make the amends in the Pune Test in an attempt to bring up his 30th Test century.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets in the first innings but failed to deliver the goods in the second innings. Apart from that, he didn’t bat well at all as he scored five runs in the game. However, in the upcoming Test, he will have a massive role to play as the pitch is expected to be spin friendly.
At this particular venue, he has taken 9 wickets in two Tests and has registered his top score of 91. Jadeja is expected to deliver the goods as an all rounder. India’s premier off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had a forgettable outing in the Bengaluru Test as he picked up just one wicket in the match and conceded as many as 100 runs.
Besides that, he scored 15 runs in the combined innings. The host will want their premiere off-spinner to play a crucial role to help them level the series in Pune. Ravi Ashwin has taken 13 wickets in two Tests in this venue.
