After first day washout, the much-awaited Test match between India and New Zealand finally got underway on Day 2 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Despite overcast skies and lingering concerns about the weather, Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch expected to offer some assistance to the bowlers.
The delayed start has led to a revised schedule for the match, with extended playing hours to compensate for the lost time. However, the threat of further rain interruptions remains, adding an element of uncertainty to the contest.
The Indian team has made two changes to its playing XI. Sarfaraz Khan comes in for the injured Shubman Gill, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav replaces pace bowler Akash Deep. This suggests that India anticipates the pitch to be conducive to spin bowling, especially after being under covers for an extended period.
Rohit Sharma acknowledged the challenging conditions, stating, "The pitch has been under the covers for a couple of days and we do understand it will be sticky to start with." Indicating that the Indian batsmen will need to exercise caution and adapt to the conditions early on in their innings.
