Tags: New Zealand tour of India 2024,
India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test in Pune, 24-28 October 2024,
India,
New Zealand
Published on: October 24, 2024
India ended the first day of the second Test against New Zealand trailing by 243 runs, reaching 16/1 after opener Rohit Sharma was bowled for a duck by Tim Southee. The hosts' cautious response saw Shubman Gill (10*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6*) remain unbeaten on stumps, aiming to rebuild after the early loss to Sharma.
Earlier in the day, Washington Sundar stole the show with a career-best bowling performance as New Zealand were bowled out for 259. Playing his first match of the series, Sundar made an immediate impact by picking up 7 wickets for just 59 runs. His impressive effort, which included dismissing five batsmen with clean deliveries, left the New Zealand line-up in disarray after a strong start at the top of the order.
Devon Conway (62) and Rachin Ravindra (56) were the New Zealanders' standout stars, providing resistance for half a century. but, Sundar's decisive bowling turned things in India's favourpreventing New Zealand from leveraging its platform and collecting it for a modest total.
Sundar, who was added to the squad ahead of the second Test, returned to the playing XI with fire, making up for his absence from the series opener. His spin, accuracy and ability to extract turns from the Pune pitch proved too much for the visiting team, overshadowing the contributions of Conway and Ravindra.
India now face the challenge of chasing down New Zealand's total with significant batting depth, but a lot depends on the partnership between Gill and Jaiswal as they counter New Zealand's disciplined bowling attack led by Southie.
Day two promises to be an exciting contest, with India looking to take control of the match while New Zealand aims to take advantage of the conditions and further advance India's top order.
