IND vs NZ Highlights, 2nd Test Day 2: New Zealand 198/5, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips unbeaten at Stumps in Pune

We are coming closer to the Day's play here in Pune and it has been New Zealand's day. They bowled exceptionally well in the morning and now with the confidence on the field they are putting on a show with the bat. Tom Latham has stiched some handy partnerships with the top-order batter and Tom Blundell has now got himself in as well. India has been once again reactive to things rather than trying to make things happen right from the ball. Once again Glenn Phillips has come and he too is rotating strike nicely and has been easy for him so far. (After 49.5 overs NZ 196/5)

Sundar has picked up four out of the five wickets in this innings again. It is increasingly seeming like Sundar vs New Zealand batters. It has been a terrific decision from India to get Sundar for the game but apart from him, the other spinners have looked off-colour. The New Zealand batters have played both Ashwin and Jadeja with a lot of comfort, especially on a wicket that is turning and gripping. This series might be that point where the baton has to be passed onto youngsters going forward because it is only the youngsters who have played well so far in the entire home season. (After 46.5 overs NZ 187/5)

Sundar and Ashwin have changed ends here. Sundar has come in from the end where Santner has picked up seven wickets and Ashwin is bowling from the end where Sundar has picked up seven wickets. And Ashwin did bowl one slower through the air giving revs to the ball and as soon as the ball pitched it took a bit of surface out of the pitch and the ball spun in sharply and immediately Ashwin tried to bowl another one and Blundell was up for the sweep for a single. The side seems to be happy to get singles and wait for a poor bowl to come their way New Zealand instead of trying to find spaces on the ground to get boundaries. As we update Sundar picks Latham. (After 44.4 overs NZ 183/5)

Latham and Blundell have put on a 50-run stand here. The latter so far in the three innings have looked out of depth however, today it has been pretty easy for him. He got the singles away early in the innings and Latham too seems to have a calming influence on the batters who are batting with him. It has been all easy peasy for the visitors for the last 40-45 minutes. These are the kind of mistakes Rohit cannot allow to happen going forward. Assuming India will be 2-0 down in the series there is also a case for trying new young spinners for the Mumbai game as apart from Sundar in this game all the spinners bowled badly for India. (After 41.5 overs NZ 177/4)

Once again fields from Rohit have been too negative. The fielders have stayed away from the batters and singles have been easy to come. It is mostly worrying about not conceding the boundaries. And the game continues to drift away. Both Latham and Blundell are getting easy singles away which will keep adding to the total India have to get. In the first innings it was understandable to some extent because it was Day 1 pitch and there was still plenty of time left in the game. However, today it needed a much more attacking and aggressive approach from Rohit. (After 39 overs NZ 168/4)

We have got to water break. Akash Deep has not bowled an over in this inning so far. The bowlers who have bowled so far apart from Sundar others have looked out of color. On a wicket that demands bowling slower through the air, Ravindra Jadeja has kept firing in throughout the game hence the results have not come so far. Even Ashwin has had an off-color spell. Jasprit Bumrah has been in and out of the attack there is no reverse swing on offer neither does there seem to be a plan on how will Bumrah force a wicket. Giving Akash Deep a couple of overs might create a lapse of concentration resulting in the wicket. 

There have been a lot of talks about the seam attack needed for Australia and how India will play over there however, this series felt like an afterthought. And given some of the decisions Rohit Sharma made on the field and at tosses it felt like India was confident enough that they would turn up and manage to get results. And for the most part, it might be true it is not that New Zealand has batted out of their skins and posted 600 in Bengaluru or 350 here. They have managed to get par scores and it is the Indian batting which has found a way to collapse and hand the games to New Zealand. (After 35.2 overs NZ 148/4)

India needs at least a couple of batters to play an innings like Tom Latham and ideally,, it has to come from the likes of Rohit and Kohli who have had a quiet home season. Given the way New Zealand is playing India might have to chase somewhere around 300 runs in the final innings which will take a miracle and everything going India's way to get there. However, as per basics, they need to players standing up and get a good score and holding an end up while the other attacking players can come and play their natural game. But without couple of anchors India will struggle to get there and the story might end up like it did in the first innings.  (After 33 overs NZ 138/4)

Daryl Mitchell has always tried to be aggressive in this series against spinners and this time he got himself out trying to whack the ball down the ground and was holed out by Jaiswal. It was a slower one from Sundar which and it is the ideal pace to bowl on this surface. However, New Zealand is chipping away at the lead here. Every partnership adding 20-30 runs here will keep on adding to the total India needs to get tomorrow or sometime later in the game. It is already looking extremely difficult for India to get these runs. (After 30 overs NZ 124/4)

India after going behind in the game made a classic error of trying too hard here. They have come up with the intent of attacking every ball and picking wickets however, it backfired. Even at this point they seem to be trying to pick wickets rather than concentrating on bowling the right lines and lengths for this wicket. India needs to get back to the basics here instead of doing these. Even fields from Rohit has been very similar to the first innings which is where that proactiveness can come instead of trying to bowl different delivery every ball. As we update Latham gets to his 50. (After 27.3 overs NZ 115/3)

Tom Latham after three failures in the series is playing a very good knock here. If India had any hopes of taking this game away in this session he threw water onto that fiery optimism. He looked comfortable in his defense and also played some lovely sweeps and reverse sweeps. India needs to find a way and plan his dismissal here because he doesn't seem like he is going to throw his wicket away here. He is used to scoring tough runs does Tom Latham has in his career. He opens in Test cricket in swinging conditions and comes in the middle-order in white-ball cricket to do the hard work. (After 24.4 overs NZ 102/3)

Rohit has started with Ashwin and Sundar again in this session. However, it is concerning for Rohit with how much of ease both batters are playing these spinners. As we update Sundar picks Ravindra. The batter tried to cut the ball and this one kept low and the stumps got rattled. New Zealand have lost three wickets now. India would be cautiously optimistic that they have picked up New Zealand's main batter Ravindra and additionally, the lower order of New Zealand could not contribute much in the series before. It is possible but a bit difficult for India to bowl out New Zealand by end of Day's play. (After 22 overs NZ 90/3)

India needs wickets in this session and plenty of them. The cannot afford any period of complacency or tactical errors. It has to happen in this session. If New Zealand has to come back to bat tomorrow morning then India would be in a dire situation in this game.

Virat Kohli was dismissed in a bizarre manner during his 198th Test match. He missed a full toss on a turning pitch while attempting a slog sweep, a shot that is not typically his go-to. The dismissal was unexpected and difficult to explain, as the ball was straightforward and without any deception. Despite being a seasoned player, Kohli made a mistake in judging the ball and was dismissed. (Read more)

Well, that's Tea India would have hoped to get four to five wickets in this session however, they have gone further behind in this game. New Zealand has played pretty sensibly in this session so far yet again. They had their approach right which was to attack. You could clearly see with some of the moves Rohit was making he was getting desperate. He went away from his traditional approach of giving the new ball to seamers and brought in spinners and when it backfired he went with Jadeja for a couple and brought back Ashwin. it seems his mind is a bit scrambled with what he wants to do here and how he wants to restrict New Zealand here. 

Ashwin picks up Young. The batter went onto the backfoot and tried to work the ball on the leg-side however, missed it and the ball hit the pads. The batter did review the decision however, there were three reds. Second wicket for India but they need lot more in a cluster. Most importantly they need to get rid of Tom Latham who is looking in good form. Rachin Ravindra is the new man in and he has been another batter who has been a thorn in the flesh of Indian spinners in this series. The body language of Indian fielders too is dropping bit by bit here and if not for that wicket before Tea things would have looked even more despirting. (After 19 overs NZ 79/2)

It is hard for Rohit this. He knows everything is against him in this game and he is on the cusp of taking an unwanted record of losing a Test series in home as captain that was held for 12 years. There have been flaws in his captaincy from time to time in red-ball cricket but these two games have exposed him completely. While Tom Latham is not known for his astuteness he certainly did the basics right. In addition to his captaincy his batting form also is concerning ahead of the big Australia series which will be followed by England series away. The team is in transition and things might turn bad for India before getting better in the next 12 months or so. 

Another partnership between Young and Latham is building. Yes, the ball is turning but it is not turning from the patches which can induce wickets it is turning either very wide of wickets or from very wide into the batters. It is also indicative that the wicket will start exploding soon and India will have too much to do in the final innings. It is reminiscent of the Test match from 2017 when Australia outplayed India here. It was rank turner this is not as much but Indian batters with some ordinary decision-making during batting threw their wickets away and got themselves into this mess. (After 14 overs NZ 58/1)

Devon Conway departs. The batter tried to sweep the ball from Sundar and the ball hit the pads however, the replays show he did get an inside edge which the batter thought he did not and as a result did not review the decision. India will be happy though as long as they get their wickets. It was not convincing but was needed. Now they would be hoping to scalp another couple of wickets before Tea. One more notable thing thus far is how out of sorts is Ashwin looking in this Test match. He had a decent spell in first innings but this innings he is going for runs yet again. (After 11 overs NZ 46/1)

The New Zealand opening pair has put any optimism India had into bed already. Not only have they looked comfortable but they are playing some authoritative shots. Every boundary they get will be deflating to the Indian team. It is increasingly feeling like India is losing the grips of this game. Once again the spinners have started to bowl pretty quickly in this innings. They have seen how things have worked when New Zealand bowled slower through the air, however, for some reason India is bowling quickly and the moment they are tossing up New Zealand is sweeping because they are assured that the pace at Indian spinners bowl it will be easier shot to excute. (After 9 overs NZ 34/0)

Tom Latham survives a close call here. He tried to sweep Ashwin and missed the ball and the off-spinner was adamant that it was out and they sent it upstairs after the on-field umpire said it was not out. However, the impact was umpire's call and Latham survives. These are the kinds of things India needs to go their way. Who would have thought Sundar would be bowling again today by lunch? It is disciplined bowling and clever tactics which did the trick for New Zealand. Again right from ball one India could not keep the same pressure as New Zealand could do with their bowling and the visitors are scoring at 4's in this innings already. (After 5.4 overs NZ 25/0)

R Ashwin and W Sundar have taken the new ball from either end which is expected however, New Zealand seems to have come prepared for the tactic and is looking to sweep and reverse sweep. Why Wouldn't they, the visitors are way ahead in this game a counter punch here will push India completely out of the game. And also the Kiwi batter would have seen how the Indian bowlers responded when they have put pressure on them. Tom Latham has come all guns firing and seems like the spell of Santner has rubbed in on the confidence of the skipper.  (After 2.4 overs NZ 19/0)

Santner picks up Bumrah and gets seven wickets. That is 103 runs lead which is a lot of runs on this wicket. New Zealand can now start dreaming of the impossible which is defeating India in India. If the hosts need to have a shot at this game they cannot afford to chase more than 200 runs. The batting line up also needs to come up with a better approach in the second innings of the Test match. With some exceptional bowling, there have been also some poor shots from India. Rohit Sharma needs to be proactive with his captaincy in the second innings as well.

Well as expected Sundar has changed the gears now. He has decided now that he is going to take on the bowling which is the right thing to do however, in his intent to get those runs away he got a boundary of the last ball which means Bumrah will have to face an entire of Mitchell Santer. Of course, if Bumrah does manage to get a single away things would be different but it seems like too much of a risk. India needs to eat away this total as much as possible The batting of this Indian team needs a proper shake-up on how to approach pitches like this going forward. (After 45.2 overs IND 156/9)

Well, Santner gets his fifth wicket and it is Ravindra Jadeja this time. The ball turned in sharply Jadeja who is on the backfoot trying to work the ball on the leg-side missed it completely. He reviewed it though but it was all three reds. Exceptional bowling from Santner today he got his pace right, lines and lengths right too. He has been to India many times before but seems like this time he has finally cracked on how to go about things. Washington Sundar who is hanging at the other end doesn't seem to have much of option left but to go after the bowling at the moment. As we update Santner picks Akash Deep (After 43.5 overs IND 142/9)

Well, 10 minutes into the session we had plenty of drama already. Ravindra Jadeja survived a couple of close calls already in the first one it seemed like the ball took the inside edge and popped up and Will Young at short-leg grabbed onto the opportunity however, no one seemed to be interested and then later Ajaz Patel appealed for an LBW, and the on-field umpire gave it out. However, Jadeja reviewed the decision and there was a big inside edge to it. The reaction to these chances Jadeja seemed to have decided that he would counterpunch against the left-arm spinners in this session. (After 41.1 overs IND 127/7)

It is going to be a difficult session for India regardless of what happens. If they have to stay in the game they need to fight hard and make sure they build a massive partnership and if they lose the remaining three wickets the game is good as over and New Zealand will become the first team to win in India after 12 years. 

Washington Sundar's inclusion in the second Test against New Zealand was a bold move by the Indian team management. Despite having four spinners in the squad, Sundar was preferred over Kuldeep Yadav. His impressive performance, taking 7 wickets in the first innings, justified the decision and surprised many, including former India player and coach Sridharan Sriram (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)

The versatility of Mitchell Santner, who can contribute as a left-arm spinner and a batsman. It also delves into the debate of whether teams should prioritize an extra spinner or pace bowlers for Test matches in India. The text highlights the historical context, where both spinners and seamers have played significant roles in India’s defeats at home. (Read more)

Virat Kohli was dismissed in a bizarre manner during his 198th Test match. He missed a full toss on a turning pitch while attempting a slog sweep, a shot that is not typically his go-to. The dismissal was unexpected and difficult to explain, as the ball was straightforward and without any deception. Despite being a seasoned player, Kohli made a mistake in judging the ball and was dismissed. (Read more)

In Bengaluru, the batting unit had the excuse of conditions but this arguably is even worse. Yes, the ball was spinning but the shot selection at times has been unacceptable. There were very few deliveries where the ball deserved a wicket. There will be a lot of criticism thrown at the approach irrespective of the result of the game which is highly likely that India will end up losing. Despite having star-studded names this is the second time in two Test matches India has completely lost the plot with the bat. Do stay with us we will be right back after lunch. 

Mitchell Santner traps R Ashwin in front of the wicket. India have lost six wickets in this session now. The crowd in the stadium seems to be shell-shocked. This game seems to have gone out of the hands of India unless a miraculous innings comes here from someone. The last time India was in this sort of trouble was earlier this year against England when Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav stitched on a partnership to save the side at the time. However, today it just seems different. Both Sundar and Jadeja are capable of putting on a score but the way Santner is bowling it seems it is going to be an uphill task.(After 37.2 overs IND 105/7)

Sarfaraz Khan has departed. He tried to play a lofted shot of Mitchell Santner and was holed and mid-off O Rourke. Poor shot selection and poor match up selection from Sarfaraz. That is what panic looks like. In Bengaluru the Indian team could get out of trouble and could play their shots because the wicket was good for batting however, here things are different it demanded more of an innings to absorb a bit of pressure play your shots selectively and take the attack on late in the evening but quite the opposite happened. Having said that the rate at which wickets have been falling New Zealand might bat again today by Tea. (After 35.1 overs IND 101/6)

Ravindra Jadeja is in the middle and we are accustomed to seeing how he plays. He will be solid in defense and wait for his opportunities. He won't play over-the-top shots but will keep a healthy tempo to his innings which is what India might need at this point. A bit of stability. Sarfaraz Khan on the other hand irrespective of the situation will play his game. Which can go both ways. Whatever may be the case or approach they need a partnership with the Indian team as they have fallen way behind in this game and got themselves into a position where they lose a Test series on home soil after 12 years. (After 32.5 overs IND 92/5)

Right now an off-spinner and left-arm spinner are operating. As we update Rishabh Pant departs. The batter tried to slog sweep and missed the ball against Glenn Phillips. It was a straight one which kept a tad bit low. Now India is in deep trouble here. They have dug themselves a hole. They have lost four wickets in this morning session and things are now increasingly looking out of hand. There is still batting left to come but the way spinners are bowling it will be a difficult task for India to get anywhere closer to New Zealand's score. It seems like New Zealand can make the unthinkable happen here. (After 30.5 overs IND 85/5)

There is a dropped chance here Sarfaraz gets away with one. Mitchell Santner is loving this pitch. It is not exploding but it has enough to trouble the batters. He did trouble the Indian batters in white-ball format before, today he seems to get his lines right for the Test match as well. Both Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant will look to attack the left-arm spinner for all the money however, it is a risky business given the control with which Santnar is bowling. Also because of how India bowled in the first innings Santner and other New Zealand spinners got the pace right from the very first ball in the innings. (After 28.3 overs IND 75/4)

The first hour has gone by and it must be said New Zealand has dominated the session. Mitchell Santner is bowling well here he got the pace right and has been accurate with his lines and lengths. As per the Indian side, they have been losing their way in this game again after having a few favourable sessions which are unlike them. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the middle are two left-handers who like to take the game on and the next hour will be crucial not only in this first innings but in which direction this Test match might take from here on. As we update Glenn Phillips picks Yashasvi Jaiswal. (After 26.4 overs IND 70/4)

Virat Kohli tried to play a slog sweep early on in the innings missed the delivery and got himself bowled. Must be said it was a poor shot from the Indian talisman under the circumstances. India is in trouble now and needs to build a partnership here. One good thing though for India is with two left-arm spinners operating two-left handers are in the middle and both are attacking in nature and can take on the bowling. This is a good start for New Zealand for the Day they will be hoping to keep up the good work they have done and pick one more wicket. (After 25.4 overs IND 68/3)

There is the wicket and as expected Shubman Gill got out to Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner kept troubling him throughout the innings despite facing difficulties for some reason Gill has not been not able to rotate the strike and get to another end. Excellent bowling from Santner he kept probing on that middle stump line with one ball going with the angle and one ball turning away and eventually one was pitched in and around the off and middle stump and did hit Gill's pad on the straight and Santner appealed it umpire gave it straightaway Gill did not bother to reviewing the decision either. (After 23 overs IND 56/2)

Mitchell Santner is bowling well here. He is mixing up the pace nicely here and is bowling very good lines. Shubman Gill at this point is struggling to pick the ball which coming back into him also one more thing is he is getting struck at one end and facing a lot of balls against Santner which needs to be avoided. There needs to be a healthy rotation of strikes between both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill so that the spinners cannot plan a dismissal. At the moment there are a lot of times the ball is hitting the pads of Shubman Gill and those calls have been pretty tight. (After 20.1 overs IND 46/1)

Shubman Gill charged down the track and hit Tim Southee for a six. An excellent shot from the youngster and a much-needed one as both New Zealand bowlers were settling into a rhythm and were piling on the pressure. Having said that India needs to mix caution with aggression in this morning session as because of the moisture that will be there odd ball will do something however, once they get through this session like we saw yesterday runs will be there for the taking in the noon session. Both these batters are aggressive enough to make the most of those good batting conditions in the noon. (After 17.1 overs IND 35/1)

Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner have taken the ball from either end for New Zealand here. There doesn't seem to be a lot of seam moment available at the moment for Southee however, Latham is setting a few fancy fields here playing with the minds of the batters. Unlike Rohit Sharma who for the majority of the game has kept in-out fields, Latham is looking to squeeze the batters by stopping singles and asking them to play a few shots if they can. Testing times this for the Indian batters in this morning session Mitchell Santner too has picked up his lines and length right straight away. (After 15 overs IND 24/1)

We are underway here and Shubman Gill got away with one. The batter played for the turn but the ball went in with the angle and hit the pad and looked pretty close in the first viewing. However, the umpire on-field did not give it out hence it was sent upstairs and it was the umpire's call on wickets hitting. He got away with one here Gill early in the day. He is not picking the line right here Shubman Gill had similar issues last evening where he got away with a couple of close calls. He needs to tighten his technique a bit here does Gill.  (After 12.3 overs IND 17/1)

The sun is out, but there doesn't seem to be the heat on offer in the ground, which could bake the wicket and turn it into a turner. However, there will be moisture in the surface in the morning session, which will make the ball do things. It is going to be an absorbing first session, so stay with us. 

Little bit gloomy this morning. The end we are standing on has been tough for the batters, all 10 wickets have come from this pavilion end. The pitch hasn’t changed too much. There will be turn to a large extent but what’s important is the speeds at which bowlers operate. There isn’t much moisture but what Indian batters needs to deal with is the natural variation off the pitch. Still tough conditions from a batting point of view, enough in it for the bowlers.

The challenges faced by spectators attending the second Test between India and New Zealand in Pune. Despite the difficulties, a significant number of people (17,798) turned up to watch the match. (Read more)

The first day of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Pune was a slow-paced affair with fluctuating weather conditions. New Zealand batted steadily before collapsing towards tea, while India struggled to score runs for the first two sessions. However, Washington Sundar's bowling performance ignited the game towards the end, and India finished the day with a small lead. (Read more)

Washington Sundar's inclusion in the second Test against New Zealand was a bold move by the Indian team management. Despite having four spinners in the squad, Sundar was preferred over Kuldeep Yadav. His impressive performance, taking 7 wickets in the first innings, justified the decision and surprised many, including former India player and coach Sridharan Sriram (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)

Hello and welcome to our live blog of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Pune. It was an absorbing day on Thursday. A lot of attritional cricket was played given the nature of the pitch expect it more or less to be the same on Friday. It will be another enthralling day of action do stay with us for all the live updates.