India started the opening session at 16/1, with Shubman Gill (10*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6*) unbeaten. At the end of the first session, India was 107/7, with Ravindra Jadeja (11*) and Washington Sundar (2*) unbeaten.
The chatter over Washington's selection was massive after Indian skipper Rohit Sharma announced three changes to the playing eleven for the Pune Test, picking pacer Akash Deep, a returning Shubman Gill and Washington in favour of Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav.
New Zealand skipper Tom 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. For India, pacer Mohammed Siraj, batter KL Rahul and spinner Kuldeep Yadav sat out. Shubman
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 Australia
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.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that batter KL Rahul should sit out if Shubman Gill is deemed fit to play the second Test against New Zealand at Pune starting from Thursday.
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
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.
Former India captain Anil Kumble has backed Shubman Gill to excel at the No. 3 spot in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kumble advised against moving Gill to an opener position, even if Rohit Sharma is unavailable for the first Test in Perth.
India will be hoping to continue their home domination as they take on New Zealand for a three-match Test series from October 16, starting with the first Test in Bengaluru. India has been extremely dominant in Test conditions, having not lost a Test series at home since their 1-2 loss to Eng