India vs New Zealand Second Test - Time for a home comeback

It was the dire first innings performance that determined India’s fate in the first Test as New Zealand made things count. That shouldn’t discount the fact that India has been a tough nut to crack in their home conditions. I am backing India to bounce back here and win the match.

There have been 63 Tests between India and New Zealand so far. The Kiwis have won 14 and lost 22 of those, with the remaining 27 ending in draws.

The first Test saw India collapse to 46 all out in the first innings, a disastrous total from which they could never recover. New Zealand took a commanding 356-run lead in their first innings which was more than enough in the final analysis. India managed to improve and post 462 in their second innings to throw a 107-run target at the Kiwis, but that wasn’t enough to stretch their chances. New Zealand won with eight wickets in hand and a few sessions left in a match that saw day one washed out completely.

India is still top of the WTC standings but needs five wins out of their seven remaining matches to ensure qualification. Realistically, they can’t afford to lose two or more matches from here.

The Men in Blue fell flat in Bengaluru as overhead conditions and a damp pitch after day one was washed out led them to just 46 in the first innings. Sarfaraz Khan (150) and Rishabh Pant (99) managed to counter-attack, but their push didn’t help overturn things.

The three-spin attack in Bengaluru didn’t have the desired effect, although Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja took three wickets each.

Rishabh Pant is fit to keep wickets, but the return of Shubman Gill could see the axe fall on KL Rahul. India may think about swapping Siraj with Akash Deep.

The win in Bengaluru lifts them to third in the WTC standings with a 44.44 points percentage. They need to win their remaining five matches to stand any chance of reaching the final.

The Kiwis were served well by the impressive William O’Rourke, who took seven wickets in the match. Rachin Ravindra was the star of the show with a priceless 134 in the first innings, before leading them over the line with an unbeaten 39 in the second.

Kane Williamson is ruled out, and the Kiwis could opt with the same XI that played in Bengaluru.