Pune (Maharashtra) [India]: Ravichandran Ashwin struck twice while Devon Conway took on world-class Indian bowling bravely in an evenly-contested first session on day one of the second Test between India and New Zealand at Pune’s MCA stadium on Thursday.
At the end of the session one, NZ was 92/2, with Conway (47*) and Ravindra (5*) unbeaten.
After New Zealand opted to bat first after winning the toss, openers skipper Tom Latham and Devon Conway gave Kiwis a cautious start.
Early in the innings, Latham and Conway took on Akash’s pace really well, making him a primary target with four classy boundaries. Jasprit Bumrah was really economic on the other hand.
Things changed with the introduction of spin. Ravichandran Ashwin struck in his first over, trapping Latham leg-before wicket for 15 runs in 22 balls. His knock had two boundaries. Kiwis were 39/1 in 7.5 overs. Latham continued his poor run against Ashwin, getting dismissed by him for the ninth time in 11 innings, in which he has made just 128 runs against the veteran at a poor average of 14.22.
Will Young joined Conway and NZ reached the 50-run mark in 15.1 overs.
Both were just stitching a partnership, braving some tight bowling from spin trio of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. However, Young edged one to Rishabh Pant, giving Ashwin his second scalp. NZ was 76/2 in 24 overs, with Young gone for 18 in 45 balls.
Conway and Rachin Ravindra took NZ through the remainder of first session without any further loss.
Latham won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test of the three-match series against India at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium on Thursday.
This game is a must-win for Team India, as they are 1-0 down in the series. The Rohit Sharma-led team will have to win this game to keep their 12-year-long home supremacy alive and solidify their chances of making a hat-trick of ICC World Test Championship (WTC) finals as a tougher Australian challenge awaits them.
For NZ, pacer Matt Henry misses out due to a niggle, with spinner Mitchell Santner taking his place.
For India, pacer Mohammed Siraj, batter KL Rahul and spinner Kuldeep Yadav sit out. Shubman Gill returns to the playing eleven after missing the first Test due to neck stiffness. Akash Deep takes Siraj’s place while Washington Sundar takes Kuldeep’s spot for his first Test appearance since March 2021.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke.
Brief Scores: New Zealand: 92/2 (Devon Conway 47*, Will Young 18, Ashwin 2/33) vs India.