IND vs NZ 2nd Test: KL Rahul and Siraj dropped as India make three changes, New Zealand opt to bat in Pune

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IND vs NZ: India made three changes for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav were dropped and replaced by Shubman Gill, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar, respectively. New Zealand opted to bat first at the MCA Stadium.

Gill missed out on the first Test due to a stiffness in neck and was replaced by Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 in the second innings. The youngster has been preferred over Rahul, who failed in both the innings at his home ground in Bengaluru.

Kuldeep Yadav was also dropped as Washington Sundar directly got into the India playing eleven after being added in the squad following the eight-wicket defeat in Bengaluru. Sundar, who scored a hundred against Delhi in Ranji Trophy last week, was picked ahead of Axar Patel.

New Zealand have also made a forced change. Their star pacer Matt Henry had to sit out due to a niggle injury. The Kiwis have brought in left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the Pune Test where spinners are expected to play a key role.

India Playing 11 vs New Zealand 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep

New Zealand playing 11 vs India 2nd Test: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke

Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium Pitch Report

"The colour of the pitch remains the same - black soil in both Bangalore and Pune. On a good length area, it's a lot more dry and a lot more devoid of grass. The team winning the toss should bat first, and there will be enough assistance for spinners from ball one," Dinesh Karthik and Simon Doull reckoned.