Indian off-spinner Washington Sundar's exceptional bowling performance bundled out New Zealand for 259 on the first day of the second Test of the three-match series at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir bombarded positivity ahead of the second Test by confirming Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant's full fitness ahead of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune.
Gill missed the first Test against the Kiwis at Bengaluru due to neck stiffness. His presence was missed as star batter Virat Kohli could not deliver runs at number three in the first innings and India lost the match by eight wickets, marking their first loss to Kiwis on home soil since 1988
Experienced pacer Mohammed Shami said it is a "big thing" that India captain Rohit Sharma took responsibility for misreading the pitch during the opening Test against New Zealand.
Reflecting on his game plan, Ravindra said: "I do not necessarily play in the traditional style of Westerners who come over here. I have Indian heritage and have played a lot of cricket in India, which has helped me develop those game plans."
Following India's disappointing eight-wicket loss against New Zealand in the first Test match in Bengaluru, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant said that this game will test the team's limits.
After the team's loss to New Zealand in the first Test, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma gave a hint at batter Shubman Gill's fitness, who had missed out on the game due to neck stiffness.
After registering eight-wicket win against India in the first Test at Bengaluru on Sunday, New Zealand left-hand batter Rachin Ravindra said that the Bengaluru pitch was a nice wicket to bat on.
The Black Caps chased down their victory target of 107 with relative ease on Sunday, with the win catapulting the side from sixth up to fourth on the updated standings with a win-loss percentage of 44.44 per cent, as per ICC.