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India has been here before. This hasn’t happened too often in recent memory, but in a home Test series they were 1-0 down. It happened against Australia in 2017 and then against England in 2021 and 2024. All three times they came back and won the series.

However, both series were four Tests long. India’s current generation have never really been in the situation they find themselves in now against New Zealand: 0-1 at home with just two Tests to go.

This puts them under immense pressure. Beating India in India remains the biggest challenge in Test cricket today, but away teams have won Tests here more often than before in the last two years. It is perhaps a sign of one era passing into another, a reminder of the cricketing mortality of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

However, this does not change the fact that India remain overwhelming favorites when the second Test begins on Thursday. Yes, New Zealand won in Bengaluru, but they won thanks to the perfect storm created by the weather and a deceptive pitch that led to India making poor throwing and selection decisions in those conditions. New Zealand would be prepared to make the same throw themselves if Tom Latham had called correctly.

Pune will not be like Bengaluru. India have made every possible effort to restore this series to the one key ingredient that had been missing until this point: home advantage. The details of how the Pune pitch will behave will only become clear as the game begins, but the broad outlines are likely to be of far less help to the New Zealand fast players and give India much more scope to maximize their superior skills and control of their spin. Attack. It won’t guarantee the desired result, not against this great New Zealand team, but whether they win, lose or draw, India will manage their destiny on their own terms.

Form Guide

India LWWWW (last five tests, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLLL

Spotlight – Shubman Gill and Glenn Phillips

Team news – Sarfaraz vs Rahul, Southee vs O’Rourke?

India have two important decisions to make regarding their XI. With Gill expected to return, they will either have to leave out KL Rahul, who has had fairly good returns from a small sample size – a century and two fifties in six Tests – since moving to the middle order late last year, and Sarfaraz Khan, who is in Bengaluru scored a great hit in the second innings. There is also the second seamer’s question: Should Akash Deep, who has looked like a natural in Indian conditions in his short Test career so far, step in for Mohammed Siraj, whose 13 home Tests have brought him just 19 wickets at 36.15? A dry pitch is expected to provide ample support for the spinners, so India will most likely stick with playing three of them. They have no significant reason to look beyond the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav yet, even though Washington Sundar and Axar Patel make compelling cases as all-rounders.

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (Captain), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (Week), 6 KL Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep.

Despite the 1-0 lead, New Zealand could face a tougher selection than India as it could mean a change in the composition of their Bengaluru attack. Conditions in Pune are likely to be far less conducive to swing and seam bowling, meaning New Zealand may have to consider leaving out one of their three quicks – possibly Tim Southee, their ex-captain, or Will O’Rourke, who will Taking over the game took seven wickets in Bengaluru – and brought in an additional spinner. This could be either left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner or legspinner Ish Sodhi, who has joined the squad alongside Michael Bracewell, who has been released from paternity leave.

New Zealand 1 Tom Latham (Capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (Week), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Will O’Rourke, 10 Matt Henry , 11 Ajaz Patel.

Place and conditions

After defeat at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in completely un-Indian conditions, India have gone to great lengths to prepare a track that, in theory, minimizes the damage that New Zealand’s quicks can do. A slow, low turner is in sight and spinners can expect increasing help as the Test match progresses, with sunny weather expected on all five days in Pune.

Statistics and interesting facts

Quotes

“No, we’re not even thinking about giving anyone playing time. We are just focusing on these two Test matches (against New Zealand). And these two test matches are very, very important for us. Just as important as any other Test match, be it in India or Australia.
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir when asked if India would select Akash Deep to give him playing time before the Australia tour

“It is important that we take the focus and confidence from that (Bengaluru) game and bring it into this game, but we have to be clear that we are both starting from scratch and both teams are starting from scratch tomorrow. “
Captain of New Zealand Tom Latham