• By Namrata Vijay
  • Wed, 23 Oct 2024 07:50 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

IND vs NZ 2nd test Pitch Report: The Men in Blue lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in the series opener in Bengaluru last week and the excitement for the second match just increased as to how India would bounce back. There has been a lot of chatter around the pitch and how the hosts will take advantage of the home conditions and will aim to use the black soil in their favor, which the stadium in Pune would be offering.

All eyes would be on the second Test match keeping the 2023-25 WTC cycle in mind. The Rohit Sharma-led side might have lost the first Test match against New Zealand by eight wickets, they are still currently the table toppers after winning eight matches, losing three and with one match ending in a tie of the 12 that they haveplayed till now. They have 98 points and a 68.06% points percentage.

At the same time, teams like Sri Lanka and Australia have PCTs of (62.50% and 55.56% respectively). They will get a huge boost, especially Sri Lanka if the Men in Blue don't take advantage of their position in the WTC points table.

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India will lock horns with Australia for a five-match Test series next month. And this is one series, which they can't ignore although they might have won the last two Test series against Australia on their home soil. Playing against Australia in Australia is always challenging and that's why the second Test match against New Zealand has become all the way more important. But at the same time, the result of the match would also depend on the weather conditions that Pune will experience for the next five days.

India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Weather Forecast and Pitch Report:

According to Accuweather.com, Day 1 would experience a blend of 'sun and clouds'. The temperature would range in the early 30 degree Celsius. The cloud cover would be around 48 to 53% as the day progresses.

Although there would be a cloud cover, there is very little chance of rain playing a spoilsport in the match, i.e. 1%. And that's why the match won't have as many interruptions as was there in the series opener, where Day 1 was completely washed out due to incessant rain.

Pitch report:

Just three Test matches have been held at the MCA stadium in Pune till now. The Men in Blue lost to Australia by 333 runs in 2017 and then thrashed South Africa by an innings and 137 runs during the second match in 2019.

The hosts played the Test match against Australia by including three spinners in their playing XI. And then against the Proteas, they brought in three pacers and two spinners. Rohit Sharma too bowled three overs during that match.

For the second Test match against the Kiwis, the Indian team management is planning to include three spinners in their playing XI. The pitch surface at the MCA would be spinner-friendly and be made of backsoil, which would help India level the series 1-1.

Whichever team bats during the fourth innings, would find it challenging on this surface and whichever captain wins the toss would choose to bat first.