Pune: In the first session of the second Test between India and New Zealand at Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium on Thursday, Ravichandran Ashwin delivered a maiden over, while Devon Conway bravely faced the formidable Indian bowling.
At the conclusion of the session, New Zealand found themselves at 92/2, with Conway (47*) and Ravindra Jadeja (5*) the only batsmen to remain unbeaten.
Following New Zealand's decision to bat first after winning the toss, the opening pair, led by Tom Latham, approached the game with caution.
The innings began with a strong start, as Latham and Conway adeptly countered the pace of the Indian bowlers, particularly targeting Akash's deliveries with precision, resulting in four boundaries. Conversely, Jasprit Bumrah maintained a disciplined approach, scoring economically.
The dynamics shifted with the introduction of spin bowling. In his first over, Ravichandran Ashwin showcased his prowess, dismissing Latham leg-before wicket for 15 runs in just 22 balls, with two boundaries. The New Zealand innings reached 39/1 in 7.5 overs.
Latham continued to struggle against Ashwin, who had already taken nine dismissals in the previous eleven innings, averaging just 14.22 runs.
Will Young joined forces with Conway, and together they managed to reach the 50-run mark in just 15.1 overs.
Their partnership was tested by the aggressive bowling of the Indian spin trio, consisting of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja. However, Young narrowly avoided being dismissed by Rishabh Pant, contributing to Ashwin's tally of dismissals. By the end of the first session, New Zealand had reached 76/2, with Young dismissed for 18 runs in 45 balls.
Conway and Rachin Ravindra continued their impressive performance, navigating through the session without any further losses.
This match is a critical victory for Team India, as they currently lead the series by a score of 1-0. The Rohit Sharma-led squad must secure a win in this game to preserve their 12-year-long dominance at home and to strengthen their position in the race for a hat-trick of ICC World Test Championship (WTC) finals, facing a formidable Australian challenge.
For New Zealand, the pace-maker Matt Henry is unable to participate due to an injury, with spinner Mitchell Santner stepping in.
In India, pace-makers Mohammed Siraj, batter KL Rahul, and spinner Kuldeep Yadav are unable to play. Shubman Gill rejoins the team after recovering from a neck injury, while Akash Deep and Washington Sundar are called up to replace Siraj and Yadav, respectively, marking Sundar's return to Test cricket since March 2021.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal (c), Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke.
Brief Scores: New Zealand: 92/2 (Devon Conway 47*, Will Young 18, Ashwin 2/33) vs India.
