India pick Sarfaraz Khan over KL Rahul while making triple change for Pune Test

India decided to retain Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order and benched the under-fire KL Rahul while making a triple change for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune on Thursday. Shubman Gill returned to the No 3 spot in the Indian batting order after missing the Bengaluru Test due to a stiff neck, while Rishabh Pant was also declared fit after an injury scare in the first Test, as a result of which India had to make a choice between Sarfaraz and Rahul for the No 5 spot.

LIVE | India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test in Pune, Day 1

Both Sarfaraz and Rahul were among the five Indians dismissed for ducks on Day 2 at Chinnaswamy as the hosts were bowled out for 46. However, while Rahul was dismissed for 12 in the second essay, Sarfaraz bounced back with a defiant 150 and stitched a 177-run fourth-wicket partnership with Pant (99), which boosted his chances of getting retained for what is a must-win Test in Pune for India.

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Rahul got benched despite Gambhir coming to the senior wicketkeeper-batter's defence on the eve of the Pune Test.

“Ultimately, everyone is judged. International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone’s performance will be judged eventually. I feel that he is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur, on a difficult wicket, and played according to the plans as well,” Gambhir had said, adding that India’s team selection was not influenced by what social media trends.

Besides Gill coming in for Rahul, India also opted to include spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacer Akash Deep in place of Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj. Sundar had been added to the squad after the defeat in Bengaluru, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner having slammed 152 against Delhi while batting at No 3 in the Ranji Trophy recently besides collecting six wickets across two innings.

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New Zealand, meanwhile, made a forced change, with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner coming in place of Matt Henry, whose devastating spell of 5/15 played a key role in the Black Caps dismantling the Rohit Sharma-led hosts for 46 under overcast conditions in Bengaluru.

New Zealand would end up winning the first Test by eight wickets, collecting their first victory on Indian soil since 1988.

Teams:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke