IND vs NZ: Washington Sundar's 7-Wicket Haul Rocks New Zealand on Day One in Pune; Rohit Sharma Disappoints

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Pune, Oct 24: Off-spinner Washington Sundar made a sensational comeback to Test cricket with career-best figures of 7/59 as India bowled out New Zealand for 259 on the opening day of the second Test here at the MCA Stadium.

At stumps, India were 16/1 after 11 overs, with Shubman Gill (10*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6*) unbeaten at the crease.

Captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck by Tim Southee - marking the 14th time the veteran pacer has got the better of Rohit in international cricket - giving India an early jolt.

Washington Sundar Stars with Career-Best Figures

The day undoubtedly belonged to Washington Sundar, who delivered a masterclass in spin bowling on a slow, black-soil pitch. Playing his first Test match since 2021, Sundar proved to be the difference-maker, triggering a New Zealand collapse after the visitors seemed poised for a big total.

Electing to bat first, New Zealand was cruising at 197/3 with Devon Conway (76) and Rachin Ravindra (65) holding firm. But Sundar's brilliant spell, where he generated drift and dip with subtle variations in pace, completely turned the game on its head.

New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for just 62 runs, as Sundar and R Ashwin (3/64) shared all ten wickets between them-marking the first instance in Test cricket where India's right-arm off-spinners took all 10 first-innings wickets.

India's Bowling Performance: A Breakdown

Morning Session: New Zealand started cautiously, with Devon Conway and Tom Latham hitting five boundaries between them. However, Latham was the first to depart for 15, trapped lbw by Ashwin after the ball straightened off the pitch.

After a brief stand between Conway and Will Young, Ashwin struck again, dismissing Young for 18, thanks to a sharp catch by Rishabh Pant after a spike was detected on UltraEdge. However, the credit for the wicket should go to Sarfaraz Khan as it was the youngster at forward short-leg who convinced the skipper to go upstairs and review it.

At lunch, New Zealand were 92/2, with Conway looking solid and Ravindra starting to settle.

Afternoon Session: Conway resumed by driving Jasprit Bumrah through the covers and capitalized on loose deliveries to bring up his half-century. Ravindra, meanwhile, used the pace of the Indian bowlers cleverly, cutting and flicking with precision.

Ashwin eventually dismissed Conway with a delivery that spun away sharply, forcing an edge that was comfortably pouched by Pant. Ravindra then took charge, hitting Ravindra Jadeja for a six and following it up with more stylish strokes to bring up his own fifty.

However, Sundar turned the tide in the second session, bowling a stunning delivery to knock over Ravindra's off-stump and dismissing Tom Blundell just before tea, leaving New Zealand at 221/5.

Evening Session: After the break, Sundar continued his rampage. He trapped Daryl Mitchell leg before with a well-judged review and cleaned up the tail with precision. Glenn Phillips holed out to long-off, while both Tim Southee and Ajaz Patel were bowled by Sundar's sharp-turning deliveries.

Sundar fittingly ended New Zealand's innings by castling Mitchell Santner with another beauty that clipped the off-stump, capping off a brilliant day for the young spinner.

India's Reply in 1st innings

Chasing New Zealand's first-innings total of 259, India endured an early setback with Rohit Sharma falling for a duck to Tim Southee. However, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal steadied the innings, playing cautiously to reach 16/1 at stumps. With a long batting lineup, India will aim to take a solid first-innings lead on day two.